MarketingIdeaShop BRAINY Tidbits	Issue #94 March 15, 2005 Circulation: 785
The ezine with brainy ideas & resources for marketers & small businesses	This newsletter brought to you each week by Lois Carter Fay & Marketing Idea Shop

 

PLEASE SEND THIS TO OTHERS!
Please send this page to anyone who wants to attract more customers, close more sales, earn more revenue, boost their bottom line, and drive their competitors crazy.

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Summary: This week I'm checking in about your 25th hour—the hour you set aside each day for learning and implementing new techniques that you would normally be frittering away—giving you more information on creating a business that can run without you, updating you on our teleseminar schedule, and much more. Read on!

IN THIS ISSUE

1. Are You Still Using Your 25th Hour?
2. Getting Seminar Business
3. Help This Brainy Marketer
4. Low-Maintenance High-Profit Business Model
5. Teleseminar Schedule
6. Request!
7. Quote of the Week
8. Resources for Marketers & Entrepreneurs
9. A Little Fun
10. Smell the Coffee

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1. Are You Still Using Your 25th Hour?

At the beginning of the year, I wrote about using my 25th hour to learn and implement new ideas to reach my goals in 2005. I suspect a few of you have followed my lead.

How are things going? Is your business improving?

Mine is. I've been avidly studying one new idea and then implementing it. Then I watch what happens.

For instance, I have changed the look of my Marketing Idea Shop website and worked hard on using the best approach for AdSense. I also added Google's AdSearch option to my site and removed the much-complained-about hover ad from most of the pages (not the home page because it brings me lots of
new subscribers). I'm not finished yet, but it's coming along. There are LOTS of pages of information on this site!

Thanks to all of you who have written to me about the improvements. I appreciate your support. If you haven't visited my Marketing Idea Shop website lately, please take a look now...

Marketing Idea Shop Home Page

Be sure to visit our Article Bank.You'll find tons of great articles there.

And then tell me what you think!

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SUBSCRIBE TO SUCCESS EZINE

If you want the inside secrets of how women business owners just like you propelled their companies to levels they never dreamed possible, sign up for our twice-monthly "Success Secrets of Women Business Owners" ezine. It's FREE! Each issue profiles one successful woman business owner and includes her top five (or more) tips for creating a successful business. (No, you don't have to be a woman to subscribe.)

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2. Getting Seminar Business

Last week, Sarah Cohen of Life's Inner Quest Center asked, "I'm seeking places where I can give seminars on the following subject 'The Secret to Happiness' and 'Stress Less for Success.' Can you offer suggestions?"

Brainy reader Alisa Heitz of Up4Contract.com offered these suggestions:

"I would try to reach out to human resource departments of larger corporations: Bank One, Suffolk Construction, county governments, etc. Many larger organizations offer their employees monthly programs on various topics that focus on their overall well being. I worked at Bank One (which may have changed names now), and we had a monthly Lunch & Learn. We brought in speakers on how to be a better communicator, how to balance life with work, and other related topics. I could see your topics fitting in with organizations that have a belief in the well being of their employees. I would start talking to the heads of the human resource departments and see if they offer such programs, and tell them how you can bring value to their employees.

"Another suggestion is to consider college campuses. While this may not be your ideal target, you may find sororities, student councils or governments looking for great programs to bring their students. I would highly suggest talking to the Greek organizations, i.e. Panhel (which is the leading body over the sororities), and tell them about your knowledge and how you would relate to the students. I know Greek organizations are always looking for worthwhile programs to bring to their members. If I can be of any assistance, I have connections at Marquette University."

From Sandra Sims of Step By Step Fundraising:

"About six months ago, I joined an organization called Business & Professional Women. I found that it's a great place to network with other business people and meet potential clients. Not only that, but once a month we have a guest speaker give a 20-minute talk. Civic clubs such as Kiwanis, Lions, Optimist, and many others have a similar format. Sarah could give a short talk as a 'sample' of her seminar material and style, and then book paid seminars from the organization or other people she meets at the meetings."

Liz Ryan at WorldWit writes, "As we gear up for 'Camp WorldWIT 2005: Women in the Lead,' we have some slots available for dynamic, inspiring speakers. If you fit this description and would be interested in speaking to a group of professional, talented and educated women please visit our Camp speaker page and apply to be a
speaker."

And Lois says: While business, civic and nonprofit organizations are not likely to pay you much for your speeches, it's a great way to get yourself in front of lots of people who ARE in a position to hire you. Make sure they know how to contact you later. If you also have products to sell when you do these free seminars, such as a video, audio training CD or ebook, you can often make good money by selling these after your presentation. I suggest you join Toastmasters and the National Speakers Association, too, because you will not only get practice presenting speeches, but you will meet others who can help you get speaking gigs.

To get hired by business, civic and nonprofit organizations, you'll need to get in touch with the program director. Research the organization and network your way in to the program director. Consider attending the group a few times before you approach the person in charge of programming. They will be much more likely to hire you if they know you.

Consider putting together half-day and full-day workshops on your topic, and expand your networking by partnering with other speakers who can help you fill out your program. That way, you will have access to their customer list, too. Create a postcard campaign with at least three postcards in the series to promote your programs, and mail them to a targeted list of businesses and organizations. Remember, it's generally the human resources or training departments that hire speakers.

Write articles about your subject and place them in print and online publications. You didn't mention if you have a website, but you should have one! A website is a terrific showcase for a speaker because you can easily post articles you have written on your topic, post audio clips of your speeches, and you can even post video clips easily today. So it can eliminate the need to create an elaborate sales package and it can often help you book a seminar without having to sell. Your website sells for you.

My next teleseminar guest, Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, is a highly sought-after public speaker. And she started out much like you--with a wealth of knowledge on her topic (publicity) and a desire to get paid for public speaking. She used her 22 years of experience as a newspaper editor at four newspapers to launch her career as a publicity expert. That was ten years ago. Since then, her career (and fortunes) have blossomed by applying all of the publicity ideas she has learned over the years. She commands big bucks whenever she speaks now. And you can hear her for peanuts if you sign up for our March 23 teleseminar, "How to Use the Media to Market Your Expertise." I hope you can join us.

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3. Help This Brainy Marketer

Cindy Van Vreede of Cindy V Video, LLC writes, "People just don't want to pay for services. And many people think they can do videotape production by themselves. The results can be pretty bad. How can you get clients to understand the value of your work?"

I have a few ideas, but I know our Brainy readers will have lots of great ideas for you. How about it, Brainy marketers? What can Cindy do to educate her prospects and convert them to buyers? What can Cindy do differently? Send your comments to me and I'll print the best ones next week.

 

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4. Low-Maintenance High-Profit Business Model By Lynn Terry

You create a digital product, which we'll call "Book + Audio Pack A." You develop a website around the topic, including a sales page and opt-in mailing list, and optimize each page of your site for the major search engines.

While you are waiting for the search engines to index and rank your pages, you start a **pay-per-click campaign** on Google Adwords and begin driving traffic to your pages. Within a matter of days, you have split-tested your ads and your copy, and achieved a very good conversion rate.

Next, you set up an **affiliate program** and offer your affiliates 35% of every sale they make. Through a few strategic joint ventures, you are able to recruit several top affiliates and begin the "word of mouth" and referral marketing "snowball."

Now, you find a **two-tier affiliate program** that is a very good match for your product you just created, meaning that it has the same targeted market and would be very appealing to your own visitors and buyers. Adding this to your order confirmation page (a 15-minute task) and also to your autoresponder series (again, a 15-minute task) allows you to more than double your inc0me through **Back-end Sales**.

Next, you go back to your original joint-venture partners and tell them about the **two-tier affiliate program** you have discovered and the results you are experiencing. Since they did very well with your new product (same target market), you let them know that you feel they would also have great success with this program.

Those that sign up under you become your "sub-affiliate" and you will then earn a second-tier commission on EVERY sale THEY make through this affiliate program... for as long as they are promoting it!

You have just invested 90 days to launch this product
and set up the entire business model. (And you can
repeat this over and over and over to make even more!)

Now, you may sit back while the sales roll in from the search engines and the affiliate referrals. All those sales are automated, so the customer is led to a download page and added to your customer database and mailing list.

Your affiliates are paid automatically through your payment processor. The remainder of your revenue is deposited directly into your bank account. Your autoresponder series continues to follow-up with customers, potential buyers and also with your affiliate team.

Out of your profits, you pay a virtual assistant or part- time employee to handle any customer service issues that may need attention.

Where are you? You can be anywhere. You can be on vacation out of the country, or in your back yard planting a garden. As long as you're reachable by phone by your virtual assistant or employee, and/or via email at reasonable intervals ... you're completely free of the "daily grind." Maintaining your full-time inc0me can take as little as four hours per week, give or take.

And what will you do when you've exhausted the luxury of "free time"? You'll invest another 60 days into your business and develop a follow-up product to add to your line. I say 60 days because it generally takes less time once you have become experienced at this business model. Your goal is to fine tune your sales process from every angle to reach maximum profit potential.

Take a moment and ask yourself, "Where am I leaving money on the table? What can I do *this week* to dramatically improve my profit potential?"

Or, if you don't yet have your e-business up and running..."What steps can I take *this week* towards my goals? What do I need in order to TAKE ACTION on my business idea, and what will it take for me to get it?"

In other words, let's take it up a notch!

 

This is just one example of how you can use several of the methods Lynn and I discussed in our recent teleseminar, "Learn How to Create Passive Income So You Can W0RK LESS and EARN M0RE " If you weren't able to make it, you can still read all about it and get the CD, MP3 and transcript here.

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5. Teleseminar Schedule

Oooo! We have some great teleseminars scheduled for you!

March 23: Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, "How to Use the Media to Market Your Expertise"

April 6: Paulette Ensign, "How to Promote Your Business with Booklets"

April 27: SURPRISE! I am pretty sure I have a famous Internet marketer scheduled, but I'm waiting for confirmation, so you'll just have to wait until next week to learn about her.

May 11: Dan Janal, "How to Use Teleseminars to Enhance Your Reputation and Build Your Business."

Read more about all of these learning and business-building opportunities here.

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6. Request!

I'm still looking for testimonials. If you send me testimonials about my newsletters, websites or products—specifically, how they helped you reach more customers or make more sales—I'll put the best ones on my site. It's a great linking strategy for you. And don't forget to send me your 72 dpi photo!

Thanks to Rowena Fullinwider, Rob Grede and Nancy Hightshoe, who sent testimonials.

You can get good linking like this, too. Send yours!

Lois Carter Fay
Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs
Marketing Idea Shop

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7. Quote of the Week

"Lois, thank you for the fabulous teleseminars you are doing. I have learned SO much!"

Rowena Fullinwider
Rowena's Inc.

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AND NOW, A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS...

What's your definition of success?

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8. Resources for Marketers & Entrepreneurs

Our Circle of Friends Work-At-Home Group Launches

Peggy Ross, mom and entrepreneur, recently announced the launch of a new, cutting-edge resource network for seasoned and aspiring work-at-home professionals. The WAHMs Network provides information, resources, and services to increase their exposure and make the work-at-home experience a successful one. Peggy, a 30-year veteran in the work-at-home movement, firmly believes that the key to a successful work- at-home business is realizing that the more you know going in, the better your chances are for a successful outcome.

"Many women, especially stay-at-home-moms, will open up a new online business only to get frustrated and fail because they don't understand it takes time and energy to get their name out there. I didn't have access to the information I needed when I started out in business," shares Peggy. "By providing key information, resources, and free exposure, I feel like I am helping others jumpstart their journey to business success."

Visit Our Circle of Friends to learn more.

 

Get a FREE Ebook from Sean D'Souza

Every time Sean D'Souza sends me his "Psychotactics Newsletter," I pay attention. He has a way of writing that catches my attention. Maybe it's because I've always been interested in how people think. That's why I got a B.A. in psychology. Anyway, Sean is a marketer who really knows how people think. He's the same guy who brought us "Ho! Ho! Ho! Why Santa's Marketing Works Better Than Yours!" Sean has given me permission to give away another great ebook, "The Psychological Power of Headlines: How to Write Headlines That Get Results Every Time!"

 

Want to Add Audio to Your Website and Emails?

It's very easy to do with AudioGenerator. You just call in on the phone, record the clip and AudioGenerator will send you an email with the code for your website or email. Then you just paste it in. And you can try it for only $1 a day with unlimited use for an entire week!

 

Learn How to Be an Affiliate Marketer

After reading Lynn Terry's article above, you may be interested in learning more about being an affiliate marketer (someone who sells products for others on commission). The king of affiliate marketing is James Martel. Get his masterful ebook, "Affiliate Marketers Handbook—2005."

 

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9. A Little Fun

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, one of my readers sent this in. Thanks to John O'Callaghan for writing this little joke and sending it to me:

Fergus O'Flannagan from Ballyfriggin in County Clare, Ireland had fallen on hard times and the only thing he had left in the world is Dolly, his faithful donkey.

Fergus was out of work for three months and down to his last crust of bread, when he spots a sign outside St. George's Church of Ireland that says "Handyman Wanted.
Apply Within."

So in he goes, gets the job, and not only that, the Vicar tells him his starving ass can go into the fields owned by the church—and eat all the grass he wants.

A week has hardly gone by when people start talking about Fergus being seen going into St. George's Protestant Church every single day of the week—except Sunday. [That's word- of-mouth advertising for you!]

As soon as Father Feelgood gets to hear about it, he sends word for Fergus to come and see him ASAP.

"Why Fergus," the priest says, "why in God's name would you-— good Catholic—go to St. George's every single day of the week?"

"Father," Fergus replies, "It's just a job. I come to St. Mary's on Sundays to save my soul. I go to St. George's to save my ass."

For a FREE copy of John's new ebook, "10 Secrets of Success That Can Make You Rich," a $97 value, subscribe to John's free e-zine, "Success, Money and Power" by emailing him.

Help keep the smiles coming...please send me your marketing, PR or sales jokes. I'll be happy to give you credit and list your website! Email me!

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10. Smell the Coffee...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you from ye ole Irish gal in Virginia. It's certainly not like living in Milwaukee where there are lots of good Irish Catholics, don't ya see? Milwaukee puts on a fun parade— complete with Irish dancers, don't ya know?—in honor of our special day (last Saturday...you may have missed it!) and then everyone goes and drinks green beer.

And it's not like living in Chicago where they dye the river green and paint the
dividing lines in the streets green...and then they go drink green beer.

In Virginia, we're lucky if we can find corned beef and cabbage, let alone green beer and Irish dancers!

But I'll have to leave the green-beer drinking up to my husband. I hate the stuff! Instead, I'll wear a bit of green and try to speak in an Irish accent all day. I might even make some potatoes and cabbage (I don't eat beef). And that will be about all the fun I can take in one sitting! Enjoy the day (but not too much!).

Peace & Light,
Lois

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