Internet Marketing Consultant | Carmen Sakurai Maranon | Marketing Chick » Ezine Issue http://www.marketingchick.com Carmen Sakurai-Maranon the Marketing Chick will help you produce better results without working harder or spending more money. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:44:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Accidentally Expose Your Download Page For Profit http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/09/06/issue2006-0906/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/09/06/issue2006-0906/#comments Wed, 06 Sep 2006 20:27:29 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=102 ============================================ INGREDIENTS ============================================ A Note From Carmen… > Homesick For Ramen Noodles > Why Am I Accepting Sponsor Ads? Topic: Behind the infamous - “The Secret To Success Is… There Are No Secrets” B.S. Deceitfully Clever Marketing: > Grabbing Customers By The… Classifieds Productivity Toolbox & Case Studies: > CASE STUDY: “Accidentally” Exposing Your Download Page > TOOLBOX: 7 Unstoppable Ways To Build A List Advertise in Carmen’s Marketing Journal > Sponsor and SOLO Ads to Highly Targeted Readers! Subscription Management ============================================ This Week’s Sponsors… ============================================ GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A BIG-COMPANY LOOK AND FEEL… with your own Toll-Free Number With Fax And Voicemail! Includes five extensions, call forwarding and screening. Put your web customers at ease and increase sales! >> http://tinyurl.com/eeo7x ———— Membership Site PRODIGY Gives You One Of His Membership Sites where you earn 100% Profit *without* having to do ANY work to keep the site running. Give the site away for a $1 and earn $19.95 per month! Quick & Easy Sale. >> http://tinyurl.com/hsqc8 ———— Sponsor an upcoming issue of Carmen’s Journal: http://journal.marketingchick.com/advertise.shtml ============================================ A Note From Carmen ============================================ I hope this message finds you well =) A friendly welcome to this week’s newest readers! I hope you enjoy the Marketing Journal as so many do, and put the featured tips, ideas, and strategies to use right away! ——————————————- Homesick for Ramen Noodles and Ramune Soda ——————————————- It always happens around this time of year… I get homesick for Japan. (I was born there, but haven’t been back since ‘91) I’ve even put my “Food Network” addiction on hold, and have been constantly watching “Tonari No Totoro”, “Howl No Ugoku Shiro”, “Chihiro No Kamikakushi” (aka Spirited Away), and “Tonari No Yamada-Kun” - all outstanding Miyazaki films. If you’re in Japan, please e-mail me and let me live vicariously through you. (At least until my husband overcomes his fear of flight… booohiss!) —————————– Sponsor & Solo Advertising —————————– Why accept ads? It takes a bit of work to get these issues out on a weekly basis. And although this is a f.ree ezine, I make certain to always deliver valuable content and tools in each mailing. And because it cost both my time and money to create and broadcast my ezine, I decided this is what I wanted to do… This benefits you as a reader as well. By accepting sponsors for each issue, I’ll be able to focus on providing you with TOP-NOTCH information, instead of writing “around” affiliate and joint venture products to cover my cost. So please support our sponsors. They’re paying for your subscription so you can continue receiving the valuable ebusiness information I deliver to you! // Mailed to 30,000+ AWESOME Readers! // http://journal.marketingchick.com/advertise.shtml —————————– How Am I Doing? —————————– Let me know what you think about this issue… and tell me what you’d like to read about in the future! E-mail me at: carmen(@)MarketingChick.com Alrightie… enjoy the rest of the week =) Warmest Regards, Carmen Maranon, Editor MarketingChick.com P.S. Get this journal via RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/carmenjournal “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havner ============================================ TOPIC: Behind The Infamous “The Secret To Success Is There Are No Secrets” B.S. ============================================ Goal: Executing *MY* Secrets to Success (if you choose) You’ve seen it… when a marketing guru is asked what the secret to Internet success is, he/she immediately answers in the most “I’m going to tell you something so shocking, you’re gonna pee a raging river in your pants!” tone… “The secret is… there are NO secrets at all.” Alright, so I’m guilty of saying that at least once, and I do apologize for the immense pain you must’ve felt you in your underpants. But as B.S.-ish as it sounds to me now, at the time I said it, it was in all SINCERITY. Look at it this way… we don’t have any secret “magic buttons” that we push to pull in the sales. The only button we have is marked “Send” and if you’re reading this, you have it too. And the special “insider tips” we have access to that allow us to know which products will sell before we even begin promoting it? Us seasoned marketers like to call it - TESTING. So, in that respect, there are NO secrets. However… Those *are* some of the very SECRETS all successful online marketers use to rake in the profits. But because they’re so “obvious” and “boring”, most people dismiss them completely. After all, “Take Action” ain’t exciting… But, there must be at least ONE hidden technique that can catapult your sales overnight, right? I mean, heaven forbid these millionaire marketers put some effort into their business! There’s gotta be an EASIER way! And there is. ———————————————————– But before I continue, check out this article I wrote in 2004 titled, “The Truth About Un-Sexy Marketing.” I got a ton of flames for writing this - find out why… http://journal.marketingchick.com/articles/notsexy.shtml ———————————————————– Anyway, back to that “There’s gotta be an EASIER way!” part… Let me be completely honest with you. I DO have SEVERAL “secrets” to which I owe my own success to… Secrets that enables me to work part-time for a more-than-full-time income, pay off my mortgage, cars, my parents’ cars, etc…. (And YES, I *am* showing off… I worked my butt off to get here! But, that’s what I’m here for - to SPARE you from chafing YOUR booty while you build your ebusiness.) Anyway, the reason why I said, “There are no secrets,” is because these are simple, daily things that you probably already do… but most people don’t put much importance on them because they don’t realize that these ho-hum, everyday actions can make or break their businesses. So here are *MY* secrets. They come with no guarantees except that if you regularly follow through with them, your business will shift in the direction you’re guiding it towards… ———————— Secret #1: Have a GOAL ———————— Even if you’re holding the world’s highest quality road map, it’s hard to get anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go. You need to decide on a destination. And a very *specific* one at that. When planning a family vacation, you don’t just stop your planning at “we’re going SOMEWHERE”, do you? No, because if you did that, you’ll most likely end up nowhere. To make the most out of your vacation, you decide on exactly where you’re going, which airline to take, where you’re going to stay, and most likely a spending budget and what you want to do while you’re there as well. Same with planning your business goals. Avoid vague goal setting statements like, “I want to be rich by the end of this year”, “I want a huge subscriber list”, “I’m going to launch a product.” Your goal must be specific and measurable. “I’m going to make $50,000, $100,000, or $1000,000+ in profit by the end of 12 months”, “I will increase my subscriber list by 30,000 in the next 90 days”, “I’ll launch my product within the next 6 months”. This will make your goal crystal clear for YOU. ————————– Secret #2: Use EARPLUGS ————————– No matter how excited YOU are about your goals, don’t expect others to share your enthusiasm. I’ve been told too many times, “You can’t do that!” And I’ve never understood how anyone can say that to another person. Only YOU can decide what you can or cannot do, and even that’s determined by the limitations you put on yourself. There’s absolutely no reason why someone else’s limits should stop you from reaching your goals and making your dreams a reality. Your goals are yours alone… don’t let other talk you out of it just because they doubt themselves. ————————– Secret #3: Work BACKWARDS ————————– Let’s say your goal is to make a total of $50,000 in profit from your online business by the end of 12 months. That comes out to about $4,167 per month - $1,042 per week - and $149 per day. $50,000 may seem out of reach at first, but $149 per day sounds less intimidating, doesn’t it? Next, figure out how you can pull in that $149 a day… You have master resell rights to a $49 ebook, a logo design service where you charge a minimum of $150, and you’re an affiliate for 2 products paying you $30 each. To make $149, you can sell 3 of your ebooks, design one logo, or 3 of each of the affiliate products. To make $1,042 per week, you can sell 21 ebooks, design 7 logos, or 17 of each of the affiliate products. Mix and match it! So, even if you don’t sell any ebooks or make any affiliate sales, you’ll be okay if you design 7 logos. Do you see where I’m going with this? Once you have it all mapped out backwards, it’s time to move forward! You’ve created your own action plan =) However… remember to be flexible with this. Your “ultimate goal” is to achieve the goal you’ve set for yourself. So if you find a way to get there faster, (maybe you’ve added web design package at $500 a pop) by all means, TAKE IT! ———————————- Secret #4: Put it into ACTION ———————————- Imagine this… The world’s most renowned architect sits down with you to design your Millions Dollar dream home and hands you the blueprint. If you go home and simply admire the blueprint without doing anything else, does that put you IN the house? Let’s say you put a bit of effort into this and you meet with the cabinet supplier and pick out your perfect style, and do nothing more, does THAT put you IN the house? What if you do a little more and visit the bank… if your bank approves your Million Dollar loan, but you stop there, does that put you IN the beautiful house? No. You can’t do just a little of this, a little of that, and expect COMPLETE results. Now that you’ve custom designed your action plan, you can’t just let it sit there… or even read it over and over again without taking action, and expect results. The most Valuable Information is useless unless you Act, Apply, and Follow Through. ——————————– Secret #5: Learn from MISTAKES ——————————– The fear of failing, or making mistakes, forces us to protect and limit ourselves by playing it safe. By doing this, you are cheating yourself from reaching your greatest achievements. You only fail if you a) give up on your goals by not jumping back into the game after making a mistake, or b) jumping back into the game and continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Making a mistakes doesn’t make you a failure. Your brain can only learn by making mistakes… it leads to growth and excellence. The trick is to take responsibility for it, and learn and improve from it. ————————————- Secret #6: Keep An “IDEA Notebok” ————————————- Whenever a good idea popped into my head, I’d drop what I was currently doing and start working on something new. BAD IDEA! I was never able to complete anything and constantly felt frustrated because I was always behind. So, I started an “idea notebook” where I jotted down these great ideas and disciplined myself not to look back until I’ve finished what I’m currently working on. This is actually more important than most people believe. If you don’t finish a task you have on your “to-do” list, you’re left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. When you mark off a task and move on to the next, it helps you feel like you’re accomplishing something, moving ahead, and not wasting your time. Did you know that completing even the simple task of making your bed in the morning can make a difference in how you look at your day? ——————————————– Secret #7: Don’t stop until it’s COMPLETE ——————————————– Let’s use another analogy, shall we? You step out your front door with the intention to walk straight down the road to your favorite gourmet bakery. About two blocks… less than 10 mins, right? Well, almost as soon as you start moving, you spot a candy sale across the street and head over for some sweets. Then you come back out and start heading towards the bakery. But, you run into your friend and decide to stop for coffee. You leave the coffee shop and head back towards the bakery. But, for reasons unknown, you stop to ask someone if they can recommend a different bakery to shop at. Then as soon as you step back in the right track, you decide to turn around and head back home because it’s getting dark… and besides, whole wheat bread is “good enough” for now… You get back into the house and check your clock, and to your surprise, you were out for over 4 hours! You take out the whole wheat bread but you really don’t have a taste for it, so you end up going to bed without dinner. // That’s what happens when you don’t focus on // reaching your goals and allow yourself to // keep getting distracted. I admit, there are goals I set YEARS ago, but have yet to accomplish. Doing my 30-day pilates workout for one… I keep stopping at day #10! If I just kept going for 20 more days, I’d have a body like Daisy Fuentes by now. The worst part is, 20 days is NOTHING compared to the 4 years of missed opportunity since I last did pilates. But no, I still go to bed shaped like a summer squash. Seriously consider “opportunity costs” and “following through”. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this “lesson”, when you take action, your life has no other choice but to shift in the direction you are guiding it towards. —————- Finally… —————- Once you take everything I just told you and make it a HABIT, it only gets easier. Set specific and measurable goals, decide you’re going to get it no matter what happens or what anyone might say, focus your eyes on it, and don’t stop moving towards it until you’re sitting on top of it! How do you think those marketing gurus keep whipping up new products every month, and sell hundreds and thousands of dollars worth their products every time? They’re addicted to the feeling they get whenever they achieve their goals. ============================================ Deceitfully Clever Marketing >:-> ============================================ >> Grabbing Potential Customers By The _ _ _ _ _ Nowadays, there’s so much information and choices around us, we tend to ignore a huge amount of what’s being “pitched” to us everyday. Take, for example, your drive to work, school, or even the mall… how many advertisements do you immediately respond to with actions favorable to the advertiser? How about when you’re surfing the web? Do you stop and subscribe/buy at every site you visit? I bet you turn a blind eye / deaf ear to the majority of the ads presented to you… What you, as a marketer, need to do is to GRAB your prospect’s undivided attention! Make them respond with, “Holy Fark! That’s EXACTLY What I Need NOW!” The trick is to pinpoint the problem your prospective customers could be suffering from… * Everyone Was Staring At My UGLY COLD SORE, And Here’s How I Got Rid Of It In 2 Hours! (As opposed to the more common, “Cold Sore Relief: All natural medication - 20% Off!”) * My CHECKING ACCOUNT Was Always OVERDRAWN, Until I Used A Simple One-Step Formula… * My JOCK ITCH Was Driving Me Nuts, Until I Used… * I’ve Wasted Over $10,000 On How-To Ebooks, But Making This ONE Change Made Me $150,000… Let your audience know YOU *used to* suffer from the same problems too… and give them the solution that’s worked for you, to free them from the AGONY! P.S. Ohhhhhh! I have a kick-butt deceitfully clever marketing case study for you today! Scroll down for the access information… ============================================ The Classifieds ============================================ Six Figures is NOT Beyond Your Reach! Jonathan Street will help you take your business to the six-figure level. Please visit: http://tinyurl.com/b2dyg — Top Work At Home Jobs on the Net. Access the top Home Based Businesses and Top Work at Home Online Survey Companies so you can start making m0ney today. http://www.homebusinessnet.net — My Cool Little Website cranks money from three of the Internet’s top affiliate programs: Google Adsense, Clickbank Affiliate Programs, and eBay. Setup is done automatically for you! http://tinyurl.com/qp92t — Classified ads are sold through: 2Bucks an Ad - http://marketingchick.com/2bucks EzineAd.net - http://marketingchick.com/ezineadnet ============================================ Productivity Toolbox & Case Studies: ============================================ This Week’s Free E-Business Downloads & Access >> CASE STUDY: “Accidentally” Exposing Your Download Page Offering a free gift is supposed to motivate your visitors to subscribe to your list. However, there are cheap & greedy people who don’t even want to opt-in to redeem these products. Instead, they look at the source code of your subscription form to find the “thank you” page, hoping to find links for the downloads. I’ll show you how to take “advantage” of these bozos for your own benefit! (I even made $2,700 off one of the thieves! And no, it wasn’t from a lawsuit.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - access in email issue - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> TOOLBOX: 7 Unstoppable Ways To Build A List Of At Least 1,000 Subscribers In Less Than 30 Days - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - access in email issue - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ============================================ Advertise in Carmen’s Marketing Journal ============================================ Get Your Message Directly Into The Mailboxes Of Over 30,000 Highly Targeted Readers! http://journal.marketingchick.com/advertise.shtml “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill ============================================ Legal Information ============================================ Copyright (c) 2006, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All Rights Reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within Carmen’s Marketing Journal. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before responding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. This list is powered by Aweber http://marketingchick.com/aweber ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/09/06/issue2006-0906/feed/ 0 My Residual Income Streams http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/08/25/issue2006-0825/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/08/25/issue2006-0825/#comments Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:12:11 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=133 My Residual Income Streams Friday August 25, 2006 @ 12:14 pm Get the Journal via RSS:: ======================================================= INGREDIENTS ======================================================= A Message From Carmen… > Who Are You? > Killing Me Softly NEWS You Can Use: > Blog: Dump Your Brain, Accomplish More > VideoBlog: Outrageous Disclaimers To Provoke Sales? > My COMPLETE, Hands-Free, Web Business For Sale… Topic: Residual Income > Action Plan: Set It Up Once, Then Walk Away… We’re Talking About: > What’s on your computer? > Genuine marketing guru needed! Productivity Toolbox & Case Studies: > 7-Step Affiliate Money Machine > My 30-Days To Internet Profits Subscription Management ======================================================= A Message From Carmen… ======================================================= Hi {!firstname_fix} I hope this message finds you well =) I’d like to welcome this week’s newest readers! I hope you enjoy the Marketing Journal as so many do, and put the featured tips, ideas, and strategies to use right away! ————- Who Are You? ————- I’d really like to know who I’m writing to! Come tell me a little about yourself, your business, and your goals at: http://www.MarketingChick.NET !! See you there =) ——————— Killing Me Softly… ——————— Since we last talked, I was rushed to the ER after suffering from a seizure during my sleep. I can’t recall what happened, but I don’t even want to imagine what my husband had to experience. After several tests and followup visits, my Doctors narrowed it down to… ANXIETY. I’ve heard stories from other marketers who were sent to the hospital due to fatigue, stress, anxiety, and exhaustion… I’ve been working myself crazy and have been learning to deal with difficult people online… but of course, I never thought it could push me this far. Would you? It was a wake-up call. Time to make changes. First of which will be to focus more on “Hands-Free” business building and promotion. Are you with me? Don’t live to work… work smart to live well! Warmest Regards, Carmen Maranon, Editor MarketingChick.com “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havner ======================================================= NEWS You Can Use ======================================================= A Marketing Chick Diary (Blog) ——————————– Dump Your Brain, Decrease Stress, Accomplish M0re! Every task, action, or project has a place and time. When these items are properly organized, you feel in control. As a result, the time spent on worrying is replaced with effective action. Take these F.REE templates to help you accomplish more, while decreasing stress! >> http://blog.marketingchick.com The Minute (Video Blog) ————————– Sixty second marketing tips! This was recorded as a test… Some examples of outrageous product warnings that are being used to provoke sales. >> http://60.marketingchick.com P.S. I don’t own a webcam yet, so I gave SitePal a shot. The final character design was published only after receiving my son’s approval =) My COMPLETE, Hands-Free, Web Business For Sale… ————————————————- ONE-OWNER EXCLUSIVE: Only *ONE& Copy of This Automated Website Business Will Ever Be Created or Sold! > TheAntiSmokingGuide.com Plus, you earn from THREE Hands-Free Income Streams: 1. 100% Profit E-Manual (via Paypal, Clickbank, etc.), 2. Google AdSense Revenue, and 3. ClickBank affiliate product commissions Extra Earning Bonuses: SIX topic related articles with your AdSense code and SIX related products to earn ClickBank commissions from! Complete Details With Market Demand & Revenue Potential: http://websites.marketingchick.com ======================================================= TOPIC: Residual Income ======================================================= Goal: Set Up Business… Walk Away… Earn Forever. Allen Says, the mad-scientist behind the Internet Marketing Warriors said, “You spend the exact same effort to promote a product that pays you $10 one time, as a product paying $10 each and every month.” In this issue, we’ll focus on “Monthly Residual Income” where we find other people’s products to promote and get paid on a monthly basis, for as long as our referrals remains a customer. Okay, so I need to… 1) Find a Product/Service that pays regular monthly or weekly commissions for customers I refer… 2) Build a List… and 3) Promote My Products! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. Product/Service with Residual Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are a variety of programs offering regular, repeating paychecks for referring customers to them. You make the sale once and get paid for as long as those you referred to the program remains a paying client. No additional work is required by you. This, my friend, is “Residual Income.” When choosing a program to promote, one of the most important question you must ask yourself is, “Would I purchase the product even if there was no income opportunity attached to it?” Some of my favorites: ******************************** TheSecondTier (Russell Brunson) ******************************** Website — http://marketingchick.com/secondtier.html Commission — 40% direct sales; 20% sub-affiliate sales. He has several products available for you to profit from, but I suggest you focus on his membership sites, “The Lost Files,” “Self Improvement Millionaires,” and “Audio Monthly” for the monthly commissions. // Side Note: Keep 100% residual profits from Russell’s // newest membership site! Russell takes care of site updates // and client support. It’s affiliate marketing on steroids! // http://marketingchick.com/keepall.html // Check out the membership site for yourself… Just $1! // http://marketingchick.com/landmines.html ********************************** Push-Button Health (Bryan Winters) ********************************** Website — http://marketingchick.com/pbh.html Commission — $17/month You are paid for your direct sales only, but the quality and variety of the products offered here encourages members to stay for a Very LONG time. Like myself, for example… Many of my non-IM products are based off of reports that are made available in this site. The person who referred me has been earning $17 from my membership since 2004 =) I love this site. ************************** Implix (Simon Grabowski) ************************** Website — http://marketingchick.com/implix.html Commission — 30% direct sales; 10% sub-affiliate sales. Simon also offers a selection of groovy tools, but his GetResponse and HyperTracker services are the way to go if you’re looking for regular monthly commissions. - - - - - - - - - 2. Build a List - - - - - - - - - O.pt-In / Squeeze Pages —————————– An o.pt-in/squeeze page is a simple web page that encourage visitors to enter their name and email address in exchange for information. The objective here is to build your subscriber list. “The Quick Squeeze Page Generator” This software is sold for $49, but because you’re my subscriber, you get it at NO C0ST! * Create unlimited squeeze pages… * Keep track of how many people visited your pages… * See how many people subscribed to your pages… Download here: http://marketingchick.com/free/squeeze.html List Building Intensive ————————- Check out this F.REE 6-week course on how YOU can build a super profitable o.pt-in list to whatever size you want! Register here: http://marketingchick.com/listbi.html * * * * NOTE: Once you start building your list, you’ll need to create your email followups. Check out Lisa Preston’s Instant Niche Emails. It instantly generates 52 one-of-a-kind emails for your niche! http://marketingchick.com/instantemails.html This software is incredible. I use it to generate 52-part followups for ALL my products. - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. Promote My Products! - - - - - - - - - - - - Here are some of my favorite places to get effective, F.REE advertising. These are great because not only is it F.REE to use, but it’s extremely viral… you’ll have a whole team promoting your stuff for you in no time! Get F.REE TOP Keyword Position & $50 F.REE Ad Dollars at: http://marketingchick.com/bigd.html — Surf the Web as Usual; Earn F.REE Advertising: http://marketingchick.com/ibuzz.html — Set and Forget! F.REE Target Tr@ffic: http://marketingchick.com/tswarm.html Tell me how it’s working out for you at: http://www.MarketingChick.NET ======================================================= We’re Talking About: ======================================================= >> What’s on your computer? Erin asks, “What programs and resources on your computer do you find most useful for your daily business needs?” Come on in and tell us what YOU have on your computer! >> Genuine marketing guru needed!!! jcardoza is looking for products that will show him/her how to start a business… the catch: it must be affordable, no learning curve, and guaranteed to prevent any mistakes from being made. Please show him/her the way… Come join the discussion at: http://www.MarketingChick.NET You only need to register once, it’s free, and takes just a minute to do! See you inside =) ======================================================= Productivity Toolbox & Case Studies: ======================================================= This Week’s Free E-Business Downloads & Access > Case Study: My $6000 In 30 Days Plan — I did it without spending any money, and borrowed a neighbor’s computer because our phone line was cut off! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - access info in email - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > Toolbox: The 7-Step Affiliate Money Machine — Start from scratch and begin to bank in affiliate commissions in as little as 7 days from now! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - access info in email - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - — “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill ======================================================= Legal Information ======================================================= Copyright (c) 2006, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All Rights Reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within Carmen’s Marketing Journal. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before responding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. This list is powered by Aweber http://marketingchick.com/aweber ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/08/25/issue2006-0825/feed/ 0 Lending My Expertise to the Food Network Channel http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/05/30/issue2006-0530/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/05/30/issue2006-0530/#comments Tue, 30 May 2006 21:08:04 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=130 Lending My Expertise to the Food Network Channel As you may have already guessed, I’m a marketing fanatic. And I finally realized just how serious my “condition” was during my off-time last week when my DSL service was down… (and to top it off, my modem burned out!) Yes, I was without Internet for one week. So, what is an Internet marketer to do without the luxury of traveling the wonderful World Wide Web? (I mean, besides pulling my eyelashes out…) Well, observe offline marketing strategies, of course! I was watching a show on The Food Network where they follow the progress of people with dreams of starting a business in the food industry… like a restaurant, catering service, personal chef, etc. This episode featured a group of friends who wanted to start a fast food business. Because they relied 100% on word of mouth marketing, they were always barely breaking even. Nobody was getting paid, and they were making just enough to pay the rent and supplies. So at least they were able to make enough to barely stay in business, right? That means they had a group of loyal customers who regularly came in to eat at their restaurant. Anyway, because they didn’t have the budget for a marketing campaign, they decided to have some sort of “free food party night” event where they invited all of their friends, family, and other local small business owners. They had a great turn out, and everyone had a blast… but after weeks, even months after the event, they still didn’t see an increase in profits. By that time, I couldn’t take it anymore and I threw a roll of toilet paper at my TV while screaming, “Are You Guys NUTS???” Let me bring your attention back to this part: “That means they had a group of loyal customers who regularly came in to eat at their restaurant.” Their party night idea was fantastic! But their guest list sucked. Why? Because they invited their friends, family, and business owners to come eat for free. Think about it… friends and family usually expect freebies… and their recommendations are not as effective as one that comes from a real customer (you know what I mean)… and local business owners are too busy running their own shows. What they should’ve done was to invite their regular customers (their core customers) and ask them to bring two or three guests who have never been there before. These loyal customers already come to eat at their restaurant on a daily basis, so you KNOW they must really like what they’re paying for… and if you invite them to a free food party and ask them to bring some friends who have never been there… Cha Ching! Next day at work or at school… “I went to this party last night at Insert-Cool-Name-Here and they served the BEST ‘whachamacallits’ and ‘whatnots’ I’ve ever tasted! I know Friend’s Name always hung out there for the food, and now I know why! Wanna head out there for lunch?” As opposed to… “My son runs a restaurant and they serve ‘whachamacallits’ and ‘whatnots’… it’s very good! Would you like to join me at his restaurant this afternoon?” Do you see it? Until next time… ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2006/05/30/issue2006-0530/feed/ 0 Content Keyword Stealth Auto-Linking Affiliate Profits. http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/12/10/issue2005-1210/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/12/10/issue2005-1210/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2005 21:05:56 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=128 Content Keyword Stealth Auto-Linking Affiliate Profits. I’m trying something different this week… both for your convenience AND to increase delivery rate. >> Action Plan: Integrate Contextual Advertising Into Your Content Pages. >> Case Study: “The Effectiveness Of Auto-Content Keyword Linkifiers.” I’ve found a FREE Alternative to ContextCASH that you can try out now, and I’ve documented the step-by-step for you to copy! >> Full, Half, and Quarter Page Ad Spots Available! Each PDF issue is archived & FREELY accessible to both current subscribers & new website visitors with your advert and live links in tact. Save your spot at our introductory rate! ================================================ Download this week’s issue (PDF) at: December 10, 2005 | Printable Version | Zipped File ================================================ Let me know how this new format works for you! Warmest Regards, Carmen Maranon, Editor http://www.MarketingChick.com http://blog.MarketingChick.com “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havner ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/12/10/issue2005-1210/feed/ 0 Destructive Firesale Habits… http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/05/18/issue2005-0518/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/05/18/issue2005-0518/#comments Wed, 18 May 2005 21:02:49 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=126 Destructive Firesale Habits… ———————————– Carmen’s Marketing Journal http://journal.MarketingChick.com > Formerly AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine > http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com ———————————– ************************************************** 22 IRRESISTIBLE Secret Hot Buttons That Make Consumers Spend Money Like Crazy…! ************************************************** Once you know these secrets, you’ll be able to use them to your advantage to transform prospective buyers into “sold” consumers time after time after time. In a nutshell, you’ll learn how to create sales messages that Hold Consumers Captive from the Pre-headline to the Order Form… Visit Website ========================================= INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE… ========================================= A Note From Carmen ~ Protecting Yourself From Online Stalkers… ~ Claim Your $25 Cash With New Paypal Alternative! Internet Marketing Action Plan > Earning 20 Cents Per-Click With Your New/Low-Traffic Blog. Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** > Getting Trapped In FIRESALES *************************************** I LOVE My Laptop… Want One For Cheap? > Starting at $299 *************************************** Ask Carmen! > How much should I be making from my home busi.ness? IMSN Marketing Goodie Bag: 105 Power Tips To Get Your Internet Business Noticed And Profiting! Talk To Me! Subscription Management ========================================= A Note From Carmen ========================================= Long time no see, everybody! I hope you’re all doing well… I missed you guys :’) I’d like to welcome this week’s newest subscribers! I hope you enjoy my Marketing Journal, and put the featured tips, ideas, and strategies to use right away! — Protecting Yourself From Online Stalkers As much as I enjoy ‘meeting’ new people via the Internet, I’ve had my share of ’strange & uncomfortable’ encounters. Colleagues resorting to serious verbal abuse, minor harassments, and creepy ’secret admirers.’ Without getting into too much detail… I’ve crossed paths with yet another piece of work. It all began when this individual began having an ‘affair’ with an AI (artificial intelligence) program I integrated into my site. Because my AI was still in the ‘learning’ stage, she wasn’t very bright. This greatly frustrated this individual and his ‘conversation’ with my AI began turning very abusive… until he decided to take his frustrations out on me. He continuously sent me harassing e-mail messages using fake addresses and several IPs. I was just about to lose my mind when I made the decision to temporarily cease downloading and reading my e-mail messages. Ignoring this individual wasn’t making matters any better… as a matter of fact, it worsened. He called and left me several voicemail message on my toll-f r e e number. Now, reading these messages is one thing… HEARING the harasser’s VOICE is something completely different. It’s frightening. So following the advice of a friend to whom this has happened to before, I filed this with the police. Here are some tips I’d like to share with you: * Do not post your home address online… use a P.O. Box or Mailboxes Etc. type services. If all you have is your home address, don’t post it on your site - or anywhere else. I don’t care what anyone says about not posting P.O. Box addies on websites… are they going to take responsibility if a wacko shows up at your doorstep? * Do not post your home phone number… use a voicemail service, or even better, a service allowing you to get a local/Toll-F r e e number that forwards calls to any number you choose. * Keep one e-mail address EXCLUSIVELY for family and friends. * Isolated incidents such as one-time heated exchanges can most likely be safely ignored… * However, if it escalates to ‘annoying,’ and you no longer choose to be contacted by this individual, block them from accessing your site, sending you e-mails and IM messages. Ask your phone company if you can add phone numbers to a ‘block’ list so they can no longer call in. Keep in mind though, that blocking and ignoring these pests sometimes aggravates the situation because stalkers thrive on control and attention. * REPEATED attacks that threaten your wellbeing should alert you that you may in fact have a serious problem. Keep records of all e-mails you receive (including headers), install an answering machine to your home number to record evidence, and contact your local authorities with your information. Whether it’s someone lurking on the forums or a big-name respected by many people online… you just can’t be sure unless you REALLY know the person. That’s the ‘darker’ side of meeting people on the Internet. It’s been quite a stressful several months for me and my family, but we’ve been helping each other getting both personal and the biz side of things back to ‘normal.’ Please, please take proper precautions to monitor and protect you and your family’s Internet privacy. (Please take this as an advice from a friend… I’m not a lawyer and do not intend to render legal or other professional advice.) — Claim Your $25 Cash With Paypal Alternative! When you Open a F R E E GreenZap Account, GreenZap will deposit $25 for you to spend online at eBaY, Yahoo or iTunes (to name a few). Plus, earn $5 when YOU Refer OTHERS To GreenZap! Open a f r e e account and get $25 at: http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-greenzap — I will definitely see you again next week… and now that we got that out of the way, let’s get on with this week’s issue! Warmest Regards, Carmen Maranon, Editor http://journal.MarketingChick.com P.S. I think I found the school where I attended first grade in Japan!! I’m not 100% about this, because I can’t read kanji, but I’m excited nevertheless! http://www.okegawanishi-es.ed.jp/ “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havner ========================================= Internet Marketing Action Plan Strategies you can use Immediately! Take a minute or two to DO IT NOW ========================================= > Earning 20 Cents Per-Click With Your New/Low-Traffic Blog. Have you seen all the blogs sporting AdSense blocks? I don’t doubt that among them are those who receive a nice monthly check from Google as a result. But maybe you’ve just started your blog, or your site doesn’t get so much traffic yet… hey, not a problem! Here’s a zero c.ost, quick ‘n simple method to get you started: 1) Find links that will pay you per click. —————————————— If you’re not yet a member of Affiliate Fuel and clixGalore affiliate networks, go and open your f r e e account now. Login and select links that will reward you from 5 to 20 cents per click. NO GUESSING how much you’ll earn, or what ads will show up on your page… you’re in complete control. * clixGalore http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-clixgalore * Affiliate Fuel http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-afffuel Make sure you select ads appropriate for your audience for maximum clicks, and add the links to your page. (I’ve added these short advertisements on my blog at the most ‘click-busy’ area of my page. Go see!: http://blog.marketingchick.com) 2) Join targeted blog exchange programs for quick traffic. ———————————————————- These programs allow you to earn credits (1 credit = 1 visit) by surfing their members’ blogs. You can even purchase credits for cheap… 500 visits in BlogExplosion costs just $5. You can choose which category to list your blog under, as well as which categories of blogs you want to surf through… for T A R G E T E D traffic! * BlogExplosion http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-blogexplosion * BlogXchange http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-blogxchange * BlogCrowd http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-blogcrowd * BlogClicker http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-blogclicker 3) Submit your site to blog/RSS directories. ——————————————– Check out Robin Good’s “RSSTop55 - Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites.” At the time of this writing, the list has grown to 120 submission sites strong. For your convenience, the site links directly to each directory’s submission page. http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/ 4) Pinging ———- This is when you notify the blog tracking sites that your site has been updated with new content. You can notify dozens of services whenever you update your site at: http://pingomatic.com/ Or… add the following site to your blogging software to send automatic notices each time you post a new entry: weblogs.com Technorati blo.gs http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2 http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/ In Closing… ————- Now that you’ve added your PPC ads to your site, joined blog exchanges, and submitted your site to blog directories, be sure to monitor the performance of your ads, as well as test different ad placements on your page for maximum returns! P.S. If you add me to your blogroll/frequent reads list, e-mail me at carmen @ marketingchick.com with your blog URL and I’ll add you to my list : ) http://blog.marketingchick.com ========================================= Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** Here’s what I REALLY think about… ========================================= Firesales. You see them more frequently now… a large collection of products and services being sold off for a huge discount. Oftentimes, the price will increase as each day pass… creating a sense of extreme urgency to buy now - RIGHT NOW. The thing is, most firesales I’ve checked out recently really DO offer unbelievably fantastic deals. My concern is for the consumers with the habit of purchasing every package being promoted because they’re afraid of missing out on anything - so for convenience, their credit cards are pasted to their foreheads, just in case. Does this sound like you? If so… When you look through your hard drive, do you ask yourself, “How did all this stuff get here?” and “What am I going to do with all this?” - then justify it with, “I’ll look through them later” ?? But then you can’t find the time to use or sell these products and they eventually grow out-of-date (and you certainly can’t use or sell these ‘out-of-date’ items…), so you find yourself playing ‘catch up’ by grabbing at even more special sales… And being the hot & hip marketer that you are (never mind that screaming rectangular mark on your forehead), you want only the newest and coolest products to use and promote… Then realizing there’s not enough time to go through them all, you tell yourself, “I’ll look at them later” - but later never comes, at least not before another firesale comes knocking at your inbox, and you peel off that plastic from your forehead to get access to those new products because the un-opened zip files in your hard drive contain a bunch of old stuff… And you certainly don’t have any use for these ‘out-of-date’ items… etc. etc. However, if you are one of the few who quickly take these products and turn them into profit, I say, “You are the Iron Chef!” - er, marketer. Because there *is* money to be made from these offers… but only for those who open the products and promote them right away. For others, it’s a dangerous trap to get caught in - especially if you’re just starting out with this ‘ebiz thing.’ With all that stuff you’re continuously collecting, you’ll begin to feel as though no matter how much you invest in your business, you’re still not seeing any results… forgetting that you haven’t actually learned or used whatever the product is supposed to teach you, or put in the effort to sell the items in order to make back your investment. Firesales are HOT… just don’t burn yourself. ************************************************** I **LOVE** MY LAPTOP… WANT ONE FOR CHEAP? (Courtesy my hubby: Al Maranon :D ) ************************************************** Al doesn’t promote these online, so I whipped up these pages to showcase the specs. Warranty & Support included! * IBM ThinkPad 390X ($299) Celeron 400 MHz, Win 98SE http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-ibm390XC * IBM ThinkPad 390X ($429) Pentium 3 450MH, Win 98SE http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-ibm390X * Toshiba TE 2000 ($649) Pentium 3 1 GHz, CD/CDRW/DVD, Wi-Fi http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-toshiba2k * HP OmniBook VT6200 ($729) Pentium 4 1.4 GHz, CD/CDRW, Win XP Pro - Only 7 Units Left! http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/journal-hpvt62k ========================================= Ask Carmen! ========================================= Dear Carmen, I recently subscribed to your ezine and look forward to receiving my first issue! Now for my question: How do you determine how much profit you should be making from your home business each year, and when is the right time to quit the 9 to 5? Thanks in advance for your help! Gia Ippolito ** Hi Gia, To answer your first question, I’d start at the END. Ask yourself how much annual income you want to bring in… divide that by 12 (months), then by 4 (weeks), then 7 (days). This will show you how much you should make each day/week/month in order to successfully see your end result. For example, for an $85K gross annual income, you’ll need to bring in approximately $7,083/mo, $1,770/wk, and $253/day. I personally keep my eye on my weekly & monthly numbers and use that info to determine what affiliate/resale/public domain products I need to add on top of my own products and services to keep me on track. Look for high-quality, recurring income programs to promote, since it takes as much effort to market a one-time $10 commission product as it takes a $10 monthly recurring product. Recurring commissions are as close to ‘regular paychecks’ that you’ll get, so find programs offering recurring commissions and promote them like mad! As for deciding when to quit your 9 to 5, I’d wait until I’ve made my monthly goal for at least three consecutive months. Also keep in mind that you’ll have to take care of your own health/dental/etc. insurance, so make sure you’ve made the proper arrangements. I do know a few people who left their jobs after simply *deciding* to start their own home business (which I think is VERY gutsy), hoping it’ll motivate them to make it work as quickly as humanly possible. Although it didn’t work for everyone, some have been very successful… so go with your gut and do what feels most comfortable for you! — Submit your marketing questions at: http://www.AskCarmen.com ========================================= IMSN Marketing Goodie Bag ========================================= This week’s Featured F r e e b i e: 105 Power Tips To Get Your Internet Business Noticed And Profiting! Login to the IMSN Private Site at: http://marketingchick.com/go/go.php/journal-imsn F r e e Access to the Internet Marketing Support Network! You’ll receive limited access to the Private Site, including Carmen’s notes, progress reports, webmaster toolbox, and more! Create your account at: http://www.marketingchick.com/go/go.php/journal-imsnfree ========================================= Talk To Me!! ========================================= Send in your COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS for AimDIRECT Ezine! Letters to the Editor will be considered for publication unless the writer requests otherwise. We reserve the right to edit your submission for clarity and space. Initials will be used on request only if your name and e-mail address is included. Carmen Maranon, Editor carmen @ marketingchick.com — “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill ========================================= Legal Information ========================================= Copyright (c) 2005, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within Carmen’s Marketing Journal. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before responding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. This list is powered by Aweber.com http://www.marketingchick.com/go/go.php/journal-aweber ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/05/18/issue2005-0518/feed/ 0 Vol. 10 Issue 1 / Ta-daa! http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/01/21/issue2005-012/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/01/21/issue2005-012/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2005 21:00:43 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=124 Vol. 10 Issue 1 / Ta-daa! Don’t Forget to download: My free report “Priceless Advice, Without The Hype”? at –> >http://marketingchick.com/carmardl319.shtml and, my 4-page “Liquid Cash” report, where I show you how I made $1,650 in less than 48 hours, without sending a broadcast to my ezine - or anyone, doing a joint venture, PPC ads, posting on my blog, the stock investment thing, eBay, creating my own product to sell, and not even affiliate marketing. How did I do it? Find out for just $10: http://www.MarketingChick.com/go/go.php/liquidcash ……….. Inside ……….. First, A Quick Note From Carmen ~ Testing testing 123… AimDIRECT RSS Feed ~ Running SOLO ads again, and a discount! ~ Newest LIVE Case Study, Marketing Lab Rat ~ My empty forum… Post your FREE ad! Getting the Most out of FREE Teleconferences What’s Your PERCEIVED Value? > At 16, I was charging $100 for 3 minutes… Ask Carmen! > PDF file cries, “Cannot decrypt file!” > What’s wrong with selling Internet marketing products? > Cool gadgets, cool tools, I want them all! Carmen Approved Internet Marketing Resources AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox > This week’s username and password ADVERTISE in AimDIRECT ========================================= A Quick Note From Carmen ========================================= Hi ! Does your name above appear properly, or at all? I’d like to address you correctly, so, please use the link at the bottom of this issue if you need to update your information. Just click on “Change Details” next to your e-mail address. Thanks! Okay, I’d like to start by welcoming all of you to the very FIRST issue of AimDIRECT, broadcasted from our new home here at Aweber.com! A special “Thank You!” to my friends who have migrated here with me. This publication would not be possible without your support! And to those of you who have just joined us… Welcome! I hope you enjoy reading AimDIRECT as much as I enjoy putting it together for you! Thanks for being here : ) ~~~ The AimDIRECT Ezine RSS Feed I’m experimenting with Aweber.com’s RSS option with this very broadcast, so, I invite you to try it out with me! Simply add the following feed to your favorite RSS reader, and you’ll be notified when the next issue has been posted, even before it reaches your inbox! Let me know if it’s working for you! http://feeds.feedburner.com/aimdirect ~~~ Running SOLO Ads Again Now that we’re beginning to get settled in our new home, I’m once again accepting solo ads. At the moment, we’re a group of a little over 4,000 confirmed, very eager readers : ) It won’t cost you an arm and a leg either, and the earliest running date is 2/1/05, so, reserve your spot now at: http://AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/advspecial ~~~ Newest LIVE Case Study, Marketing Lab Rat Can I, an average stay-at-home-mom, really make a full-time living off of promoting other people’s products and services like the ‘gurus’ claim? Watch and find out! I’ve chosen Ewen Chia of PowerAffiliateMarketing.com to get me started on the road to Super Affiliate stardom. Get the feed: http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/imsn-labrat ~~~ My EMPTY forum… Post your FREE ad! I was moving my forum to a different directory, but, decided to move it back to its original location (because I love complicating my life like that). And the powers above have punished me for my time-wasting-ness by making all of the previous posts completely disappear. So, I’m back at square one. Now, I invite you to post an intro and an ad at the forum… if you’re a previous member, there’s a good chance your account is still in tact, so please check before creating a new account. Do you have a link to a free ebook, software, or script? Post them there too, for easy access! Visit the forum at: http://forum.aimdirect-ezine.com ~~~ I think that’s it for now… so, enjoy this issue! Warmest Regards, Carmen Maranon AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com P.S. Go see my blog… stuff I have to say that doesn’t fit in here, goes there. http://blog.MarketingChick.com P.P.S. Carmen’s favorite charities… Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated! http://www.marketingchick.com/justgive “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havne ========================================= Getting the Most out of FREE Teleconferences ========================================= If you’re subscribed to as many ezines and newsletters as I am, you’ve no doubt been inundated with daily invitations to free teleconferences, teleclinics, teleseminars, teletubbies, etc. But, have you ever picked up the phone and called in? I used to think, “Sheesh, not ANOTHER one!” until I received an invite for a call held after 9pm when I have free night time minutes on my cell. It was surprisingly informative. I’m easily bored, and not being able to actually speak to the people on the phone was somewhat irritating, but, an audio recording was available for download the following day, so, I took it, burned it on a CD, and listened. Well, I had to listen to it one more time with pen and note pad in hand to *really* get it, but, I finished with several pages of new information to test out! That’s not to say I haven’t dialed in to any bad calls… one gentleman seemed to have thought that sounding like he had swallowed the phone was a bright idea, on top of speaking at a rate of three words per minute. But I digress… Anyway, here are a few tips I’ve found helpful in getting the most out of free teleconference calls: 1) Have a pen and note pad handy. I like to jot things down the moment I hear something useful or interesting, so I won’t forget later. Also helpful if the conference organizers won’t have a recorded copy available for download. 2) Burn the recordings on CD. This way, you can listen to them in your car, while you walk, work, and anytime your ears are free. 3) Keep your ears open for priceless nuggets! No doubt the speakers will talk about something you’re already aware of, but, keep your ears (and mind) open to their unique approach to ‘ordinary’ things. 4) Look out for what the speakers are DOING to make profit. After the call, check out the speaker’s websites and see what s/he’s doing to bring in the cash. It’s one thing to ‘listen in’ on how they’re bringing in the cash, but, seeing them in action is putting this lesson on a whole new level! Refer back to your notes and see exactly how they practice what they preach! Anyway, if you have the opportunity to listen in on a free call, give it a shot! You might walk away with some great ideas you wouldn’t have thought of yourself! * most free calls require you to pay for local/long distance charges, unless they provide you with a toll-free number. ========================================= What’s Your PERCEIVED Value? ========================================= In high school, while my friends worked at the mall and fast food places, I earn.ed extra c.ash as a hula/Tahitian dancer. I performed at weddings, birthdays, cotillions, corporate Christmas parties, you name it - and charged a hundred bucks a dance. The parties would usually request 3 dances, each dance around 3 minutes long, and I always had at least 2 performances every weekend. At $100 per 3 minute dance, and 3 dances each performance = $300 for 9 minutes… twice a week = $600 for 18 minutes My friends were working their butts off, waiting on tables and organizing the stockrooms, 4 hours after school, three times a week… ear.ning $5 per hour. $5 x 4 = $20, at 3 times a week = $60. Who worked harder? Who ear.ned more? One more example… About 10 years ago, my little cousin, who was 5 years old at the time, played the role of “Tam” in the “Miss Saigon” First National Tour. If you’ve seen this breathtaking musical, you know the kid stands there for a few seconds, get carried around by a pretty girl, then bows his head when someone is shot. The little brat ear.ned $2,000 each week. You’d have to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, ear.ning $50 per hour to make that. It’s like investing years of your life in research, testing, and creating your product, spending hundreds and thousands of dollars in marketing what could be the most brilliant item ever to hit the market, and making just enough to almost break even… while a 22 year old mixes some nail polish colors to match a pair of sandals, and that idea quickly explodes into a multi-million dollar business. “Carmen, you’re rambling again. What’s your point?” My point is… the amount of work you put into your product doesn’t determine how much your market will gladly pay to get it. Consider what products and services have a high perceived value in the eyes of your prospective customers, and cash in! ========================================= Ask Carmen! ========================================= Q1: What’s wrong with selling Internet Marketing products? Why do marketing gurus insist that us regular people not to market these items? Are you all afraid of some competition? A1: I doubt it’s about them (or ‘us’ since for some reason, your finger seem to point at me as well) being afraid of added competition… for those of us who know how to use this to our advantage, competition is a very PROFITABLE thing. However, I personally advise people who have not yet established a presence in the IM arena, to start off marketing non-IM products. The reason is, it’s much quicker and easier to see profit on that road. And the quicker you make a profit, the bigger chance you’ll be motivated into making more, build up your confidence, open your mind to bigger possibilities… and less chances of feeling discouraged… thinking, “I knew this was too good to be true.” And give up. ~ Q2: I tried opening a PDF file and get the error message “cannot decrypt file.” Help! A2: This error message usually means you need to update your Acrobat reader to 5.0 or later. Download a more current version at: http//www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html ~ Q3: I always feel pressured into buying all the latest marketing products, with promoters telling me I’m losing money by not taking advantage of this hot new item. Any advice? A3: There *are* a lot of really cool gadgets and information being released almost daily, aren’t there? That’s why it’s important to always make it a point to write down clear, short term goals and how you plan on executing it. Doing this will help you make intelligent decisions on whether or not to acquire the new products presented to you. For example, if you’re working on Google PPC campaigns, that groovy new talking search engine optimization robot won’t be a wise investment, but, the Google AdWords profit cheat sheet everyone’s raving about might help you improve your results. Keep this in mind the next time you feel like you might miss out if you don’t make that purchase at that moment… People have made insane amounts of money without that ebook, home study course, software, membership site, or script. Weigh your options, pro’s and con’s, and no matter what, don’t let anything (no matter how cool) distract you from reaching that goal… otherwise, you’ll kick yourself for never completing anything! — Submit your questions at: http://www.AskCarmen.com ========================================= Carmen Approved: Highly Recommended Internet Marketing Tools ========================================= Automatic follow-up messages through RSS? Thanks to Andy Peacock, you can send follow-up messages through RSS, based on the date when the subscriber first accessed the RSS feed! The RSSResponders enables you to: ** Send automated, hands-free messages to your RSS readers, based on the day they joined. ** Take advantage of scheduled follow-up to increase your in~come. ** Work with all the industry-standard RSS formats to make sure your entries appear in the right place, at the right time. And we thought followup autoresponders were God’s gift to Internet marketing! This is icing on the cake!! Check it out at: http://marketingchick.com/rssresponder.html — View the complete listing of all highly recommended resources at: http://www.CarmenApproved.com ========================================= AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox ========================================= I’m sending this week’s username & password in a separate e-mail. I’m moving the downloadable files to a different server to avoid some messy bandwidth issues. Keep your eyes peeled! (Is that the correct phrase? That sounds so disgusting, doesn’t it?) ========================================= Advertise in AimDIRECT! ========================================= Now that we’re beginning to get settled in our new home, I’m once again accepting solo ads. At the moment, we’re a group of a little over 4,000 confirmed, very eager readers : ) It won’t cost you an arm and a leg either, and the earliest running date is 2/1/05, so, reserve your spot now at: http://AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/advspecial — “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill ========================================= Legal Information ========================================= Copyright (c) 2005, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within AimDIRECT Ezine. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before responding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. This list is powered by Aweber.com http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/aweber AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine is registered with the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA [ISSN: 1523-6617] ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2005/01/21/issue2005-012/feed/ 0 Vol. 9 Issue 4 / Get Their Undivided Attention http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/09/08/issue2004-0908/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/09/08/issue2004-0908/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2004 20:58:02 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=122 Vol. 9 Issue 4 / Get Their Undivided Attention Ingredients * A Quick Note From Carmen > Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me How Annoying My Voice Is? * Internet Marketing Action Plan > Quickly Boost Your Marketing Response * Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** > Why Pay For Information You Can Find For Fr.ee? * This Week’s Feature Article Raising The Bar with Social Proof… or, you didn’t think of doing it because you didn’t know it was even possible. * Webmaster Resources #1. “Custom PDF Maker” by Louis Allport ($0) #2. 60-Min CD by #1 Best-Selling Author Mike Litman ($S/H) * What We’re Talking About… > Am I REALLY screwed if I don’t dish out the $1,000? > Google Ad Bot in Forum? > Abused by Carmen? > My Cameo Appearance… * AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox > I’m Stumped This Week… A Quick Note From Carmen Hi! I’d like to welcome all new subscribers! I’m so pleased to have you here with us, and hope you find AimDIRECT insightful, informative, as well as entertaining! *** I originally sent this issue on Friday, but, didn’t receive it at ANY of my seeded e-mail addresses, so, I’m resending it again. I doubt anyone is getting duplicates, but, just in case - now you know the reason why. *** Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me How Annoying My Voice Is? I had a recording for this week’s “Carmen Uncensored”… thank goodness this issue didn’t go out last week, because when I listened to it again just now, I couldn’t believe I was about to put you all through the agony of listening to me screaching for six (6) entire minutes! Gotta do my AudioC4 vocal exercises again… sheesh. *** Just an FYI: Monday, September 6, was Labor Day here in the US. If you sent me a message over the weekend and haven’t yet received a reply, that’s because Monday was a no-work day :) Replies will be sent shortly. *** Okay, let’s jump right in! Respectfully Yours, Carmen Maranon AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine P.S. Feast your eyes on the Marketing Chick Diary! http://blog.marketingchick.com “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havne :: top :: Internet Marketing Action Plan… Quickly Boost Your Marketing Response In my latest post on my blog, I talk about getting a piece of that oh so precious, “undivided attention” nobody seems to have time for anymore. You know it’s true… there’s so much information and choices around us, we tend to ignore a good part of what’s presented to us every day. Think of your drive to work, the mall, anywhere… how many commercials do you immediately respond to with an action favorable to the advertiser? How about when you’re surfing the web? Do you stop and subscribe/buy at every site you visit? I don’t think so. You gotta get your prospect’s undivided attention! Make them respond with a, “That’s What I’ve Been Looking For!” and guide them to take action. Take a look at what I’m talking about at my blog and tell me your thoughts by leaving a comment by clicking on the “talk to me” link below the post, would ya? FYI: A blog is short for “web log”, and mine is always absolutely fr.ee to read anytime you have nothing better to do with your time. :: top :: Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** Why Pay For Information You Can Find For Fr.ee? Our friend “Dano” started a thread at the Achievers Forum asking… (don’t let the grammar and spelling distract you!) “If you are the dizen of others can help start of my own business, why do you need money for purchase? Why do you not let me try yours system and allow me to pay for your system after I make money since everyone can seem to claims to able to make me momey? Uncless you are all scam?” Read the complete post & the heated responses at: http://www.aimdirect-ezine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=96 Anyway, a subscriber sent me a private message regarding that post, asking, “If you can find just about any info on how to build and promote your business on the Internet for fr.ee, why would anyone need to spend $29.95, or even $1,000 for any marketing product?” And here’s my answer —————— > “As I mentioned in several of my posts, you don’t *need* any one product, service or tool to build or improve your business. You can always do your own research and do everything from scratch. Just like you don’t NEED a plane to travel overseas. You can chart the best route to take and travel by boat, or even swim across. Or, instead of buying a car, you can learn how to build one from scratch yourself, take the finished product for a ride, and if it stalls or falls apart on you, go back and make the necessary changes. Just the same… You can surf the web and collect all the fr.ee information you can about running and promoting a business on the Internet. But, finding the right information takes time… you must weed out the junk and figure out what to do with whatever useful information that’s left - on your own. And we haven’t even started testing, tracking, and fine-tuning yet! So, whenever you find yourself infected with the Fr.eebie-Bug, keep in mind that if you have the proven tools to guide you to where you want to go, you’ll reach your destination much quicker, without all the effort it would’ve taken you to do it alone from scratch. It’s like a joint venture… You select the item to help you reach your desired results, pay the appropriate fees to purchase that item… and in return, the product or service owner shares with you, the results of *THEIR* research, testing, tracking and fine-tuning. Of course you will still have to invest some effort and apply the information to your own needs, but, this works as your foundation… giving you a head start and saving you time, money and frustration. Basically, a shortcut to your destination.” :: top :: Raising The Bar with Social Proof… or, you didn’t think of doing it because you didn’t know it was even possible. by Carmen Maranon of MarketingChick.com < note 9/7/04 > Subscriber, Fred Engh, posted this quote at the Achievers forum: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.” - W.C.Stone What a coincidence… this issue’s Feature Article concerns failure to take action on your desires because you didn’t know it was attainable. < /note > Dr. Robert Anthony, author of, “The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence” writes: “The most important thing to remember about desire is that if you have the desire to do anything creative, you also have within you the means of fulfillment…” “In other words, whatever desire you have, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, carries with it the ability and mechanics to make it become reality.” Let’s take my 3 year old, Joshua, for example. He’s a very cautious little guy… I admit, I’m to blame. Never wanting him to get a ‘boo boo’, I taught him to always be very, very careful to avoid getting an ouchie. When he plays Power Ranger, he pretends to leap from tall buildings by jumping off the very bottom step. He never jumps off the couch like most other kids, but, instead, he escapes from the monsters by sliding off the couch and rolling across the floor. Too young for preschool, and being the only grandchild from both sides, he’s never exposed to children his age, and ‘carefully’ plays with his mommy, day in - day out. And then it happened. I was asked to babysit my friend’s two children, ages 1 and 3. The 3 year old, Jayson, is one month older than Joshua. I played with the 1 year old as I watched Joshua and Jayson play “dinosaur, monster, police truck”. Running around the family room, screaming and laughing, jumping and dropping… when suddenly, they climbed up the sofa, yelled, “Power!”, bent their knees, and Jayson jumprf up into the air, then dropped down on the floor on both feet - as my Joshua looked on, his eyes wide with excitement. Keeping in mind that my poor sheltered son’s definition of taking a risk is, jumping from the fluffy bedroom carpet, onto the bathroom tiles…. imagine my surprise when Joshua followed suit without batting an eyelash. Now he’s a mean, green, jumping machine. Constantly jumping off sofas, beds, coffee tables… you name it. If he can climb it, he’ll jump off of it. This is “social proof” at work. Dr. Cialdini, author of, “Influence Science and Practice” writes: “The principle of social proof operates most powerfully when we are observing the behavior of people just like us” “Therefore we are more inclined to follow the lead of a similar individual than a dissimilar one.” There’s no doubt jumping off the big, fluffy, couch has crossed Joshua’s mind, even before Jayson came along. He just never witnessed anyone doing it… let alone a boy just like him. He didn’t know it was possible… how could he? For the past three years, he did exactly as his mommy did. And mommy never jumped off the couch like that. Let’s move the focus to the adults. How many times have you fantasized making a million dollars a day? That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it? But it’s just a fantasy, right? Or is it? Recently, a virtually unknown man by the name of John Reese, made over one million dollars within 24 hours of launching his product. Many of you will quickly point at his large network of Joint Venture partners. But the truth is, we don’t care exactly *how* he did it at this moment… only that he did. John Reese, whose name and reputation has not yet widely circulated as those of Gary Halbert, Jay Abraham, and Dan Kennedy, proved to us that our dreams do not have to be confined in our thoughts… it can be unleased and transformed into reality. Have you ever imagined making five million dollars in 24 hours? Or buying a $150,000 sports car as a surprise gift for your husband? How about that spectacular ten million dollar, 60-room, 12-car-garage mansion? You don’t have to wait for someone else to come and ‘prove’ to you that it can be done. You thought it… if you truly believe it… you can do it. Be the proof, others will follow, and you’ll be a hero. (c)2004 MarketingChick.com. All rights reserved. :: top :: What We’re Talking About… Beth Hwong asks if she really *Needs* the $1,000 traffic course launched a few weeks ago to succeed with her business. Dawn Wentworth wonders how Google Ads keep appearing as ‘posts’ in the Achievers forum. Jack Humphrey checks in to see if I’m abusing anyone on my site. Fred credits my cameo appearnce in the “30 Days To IM Success” for bringing me into his life ;) Read these and more at the Internet Marketing Achievers Forum: http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/forum/ :: top :: AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox I’m still deciding on what product to add to the toolbox… I’ll send you a notice in a day or two with the product name and access info. Any suggestions or ideas? Let me know…. http://www.aimdirect-ezine.com/contact :: top :: AimREFER: Earn FREE Premiere Sponsor Ads! Tell your friends and colleagues about AimDIRECT Ezine! In return, I’ll give you 1,000 AD VIEWS at the PREMIERE SPONSOR position for every new subscriber joining via your AimDIRECT Ezine signup page! Click Here to Join AimREFER :: top :: Tell Me!! Send in your COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS for AimDIRECT Ezine! Letters to the Editor will be considered for publication unless the writer requests otherwise. We reserve the right to edit your submission for clarity and space. Initials will be used on request only if your name and e-mail address is included. Carmen Maranon, Editor http://www.aimdirect-ezine.com/contact :: top :: — “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill Legal Information… Copyright © 2004, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within AimDIRECT Ezine. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before reponding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. AimDIRECT-Ezine.com is hosted by Host4Profit… the 300MB business host that PAYS YOU BACK! This list is powered by AutoResponse Plus 3™ AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine is registered with the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA ISSN: 1523-6617 ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/09/08/issue2004-0908/feed/ 0 Vol. 9 Issue 3 / Prequalifying Your Leads http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/08/14/issue2004-0814/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/08/14/issue2004-0814/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2004 20:47:18 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=116 Vol. 9 Issue 3 / Prequalifying Your Leads

Ingredients

* A Quick Note From Carmen
> He’s Rich, He’s Hot, and what a Big Heart! (and single too, I think :D )
> CarmenApproved.com creates Angry ‘Gurus’
* PREMIUM CONTENT
How to Prequalify Your Leads into *Micro Targeted* Leads.
* Internet Marketing Action Plan
> Access ClickBank.com’s Customer Lists for Free
* This Week’s Feature Article
How to Trigger a Successful Sale through
the Power of Psychological Triggers
* Ask Carmen!
> Has Sp.a mming Suddenly Become a ‘Good’ Thing?
* What We’re Talking About…
> Why Can’t You Give Me Services For Free?
> Instant Downline Building @ the Achievers Forum
* AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox
> Type Pilot: Typing just got easier!
* Subscription Management

A Quick Note From Carmen

Hi!

I hope you’re all enjoying your weekend so far : )

I’d like to welcome all new subscribers! I’m so pleased
to have you here with us, and hope you find AimDIRECT
insightful, informative, as well as entertaining!

***

He’s Rich, He’s Hot, and what a Big Heart!

In March 2004, marketers from all over the world paid
$4,500 a seat to listen to John Reese for three days.

Why? He’s generated over 1.56 BILLION visitors to his
websites and made millions of dollars. This is the
guy who is quietly making $65,000 a MONTH from
just ONE of his affiliate programs!

Even if you weren’t able to attend, you’re in luck.
John will send straight to your door: 7 DVD video
footage from the workshop, 2 Training Guides (to follow
along while watching the DVD’s), 6 CD Tutorials (stuff he
didn’t teach at the workshop!), and all the blueprints to
learn everything taught at his workshop - and more!

And you won’t have to dish out $4,500 for it too…
you get the entire home-study course at about 78%
discount, PLUS, you can break it up into 3 payments.

Click Here to download the special report, watch the
video, and get your name on the Pre-Launch List.

If you already have the report, be sure to get your
name on the “Traffic Secrets” Pre-Launch List
(form right below the video) so you’ll be contacted
by John himself on August 17 as soon as the
course is released!

I’ve already received my prelease package : ) All 6
blueprints are on my wall next to my desk… well, except
for his crazy, website traffic sheet. That one is
hanging next to my monitor!

I love it - wish I could share everything that’s included
in the course with all of you right now, but, then we don’t
want John getting mad, do we?

P.S. In the pdf report, John mentions a “trick” on the
Google AdWords CD-Rom that practically guarantees an
increase in click-through rate… took me 5 seconds to do
this, and my click-throughs doubled almost instantly.

***

CarmenApproved.com creates Angry ‘Gurus’

I’ve just about had it with bigshots who get their undies
in a bunch just because I make it a habit to ’speak’ my mind.

Honestly, some of these guys are bazillionaires… why
should they care what I say? I’m just one little nobody.

See, there’s been a little change at the CarmenApproved.com
site. Instead of simply listing all the tools I recommend,
I’ve decided to invest a little more effort into that list
and added a 10-point rating for each product which includes:

* whether the product delivers what the sales letter promised,

* if the product is worth the price,

* my opinion regarding its quality,

* and the necessity factor
(if it’s something you should spend money on now).

I’m not even close to finished with the new format…
I’ve only updated two reviews. BUT, some people felt
insulted because I took down their product altogether,
and my visitors might think their stuff didn’t score
at least a 7/10.

You’d think their whole life depended on my dinky page!!

Note: Only products and services with an average score of
7 out of 10 will be posted here. Internet Marketing Support
Network members have access to my complete listing of
UNBIASED reviews - that means 0 out of 5 products too ;)

***

Well, enough chit-chat…
Enjoy this week’s issue!

Respectfully Yours,
Carmen Maranon
AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine

P.S. Feast your eyes on the Marketing Chick Diary!

“The vision must be followed by the venture.
It is not enough to stare up the steps…
we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havne

:: top ::

How to Prequalify Your Leads into *Micro Targeted* Leads.

(( Premium Content ))

A simple way to do this is to be as clear as possible when
you send an ad to your subscribers, so they know exactly who
this particular ad has been written for. Then offer them a
free gift, so irrisitable, they’ll jump to action in order
to receive it. This way, instead of “chasing after” your
prospects, these pre-qualified prospects will contact you.

It’s much easier to sell to those who come to you,
than to those you go after.

Weed out the “tire-kickers” by disqualifying them. Do this
by asking them if they’re looking to purchase a solution to
their problems now or for later. Put the people who answer
“later” into an autoresponder sequence. You want to work
on those who are looking to buy right now.

>> Get the full story.

:: top ::

Internet Marketing Action Plan…
Take a minute or two to DO IT NOW

Access ClickBank.com’s Customer Lists for Free

ClickBank.com is a great place to find potential Joint
Venture partners!

Visit ClickBank.com, click on “Shop The Marketplace”,
and browse through the categories related to your
target market.

At the top righthand side of the ClickBank Catalog, it
says, “Over 10,000 products ranked by popularity”.
That means, products higher up in the list makes
the most sales.

Take note of those top sites and approach the product
owners with your killer JV offer. They’ve got a hot
database of customers who have already purchased
products in your market.

It’s a good idea to sell your product through
ClickBank as well since you know these people are
comfortable with making payments through them.
If you’re not a ClickBank vendor, sign up here.

:: top ::

This Week’s Feature Article

How to Trigger a Successful Sale through the
Power of Psychological Triggers
by Joe Sugarman

A desire to buy something often involves a subconscious
decision. In fact, I claim that 95% of buying decisions are
indeed subconscious.

Knowing the subconscious reasons why people buy, and using this
information in a fair and constructive way, will trigger
greater sales response — often far beyond what you could
imagine.

I recall a time when I applied one of these subconscious devices
by changing just one word of an ad, and response doubled. I
refer to these subconscious devices as psychologal “triggers.” A
psychological trigger is the strongest motivational factor any
salesperson or copywriter can use to evoke a sale.

There are 30 triggers in all, some of which I will reveal to you
in a moment. Each trigger, when deployed, has the power to
increase sales and response beyond what you would normally
expect.

There are triggers, for example, that will cause your prospect
to feel guilty if they don’t purchase your product. Let me give
you an example. Whenever you receive in the mail a sales
solicitation with free personalized address stickers, you often
feel guilty if you use the stickers and don’t send something
back — often far in excess of the value of the stickers.
Fundraising companies use this method a great deal. You receive
50 cents worth of stickers and send back a $20 bill.

Another example are those surveys that are sent out asking for
you to spend about 20 minutes of your time filling them out.
Enclosed in the mailing you, might find a dollar bill included
to encourage you to feel guilty, and entice you to fill out the
survey. And you often spend a lot more than one dollar of your
time to do that.

Guilt is a strong motivator. I have to admit that I’ve used
guilt in many selling situations, in mail order ads and on TV –
with great success, I might add.

I call one of the most powerful triggers a “satisfaction
conviction,” which is a guarantee of satisfaction. But don’t
confuse this with the typical trial period you find in mail
order, i.e., “If your not happy within 30 days, you can return
your purchase for a full refund.” A satisfaction conviction is
different. Basically it takes the trial period and adds
something that makes it go well beyond the trial period.

For example, if I were offering a subscription, instead of
saying, “If at anytime you’re not happy with your subscription,
we’ll refund your unused portion,” and instead said, “If at any
time you’re not happy with your subscription, let us know and
we’ll refund your entire subscription price — even if you
decide to cancel just before the last issue.”

Basically you’re saying to your prospect that you are so sure
that they’ll like the subscription, that you are willing to go
beyond what is traditionally offered with other subscriptions.
This in fact gives the reader the sense that the company really
knows it has a winning product and solidly stands behind the
product and your satisfaction.

Is this technique effective? You bet. In many tests, I’ve
doubled response — sometimes by adding just one sentence
that conveys a good satisfaction conviction.

I received an e-mail from a company, a subsidiary of eBay,
requesting my advice. They had an e-mail solicitation that
wasn’t drawing the response that they had expected. What was
wrong?

Looking over what they had created, I saw several mistakes, many
of which would have been avoided if they knew the psychological
triggers that cause people to buy. Let me give you just one
example.

In the subject line of most e-mails that have solicited me, I
have been able to tell, at a glance, that the solicitation was
for a specific service or an offer of something that I was
clearly able to determine. Examples such as “Reduce your CD and
DVD costs 50%,” Or “Lose weight quickly,” pretty much told me
what they were selling. Was this good or bad?

The problem with those subject lines is that the reader was able
to quickly determine: 1) that it was an advertisement; and 2)
that it was for some specific product or service.

Most people don’t like advertising. And most people won’t make
the effort to open their e-mail solicitation if they think they
are getting an advertising message — unless they are sincerely
interested in buying something that the advertisement offers.

The subject line of an e-mail is similar to the headline of a
mail order ad, or the copy on an envelope, or the first few
minutes of an infomercial. You’ve got to grab somebody’s
attention and then get them to take the next step. In the case
of the envelope, you want them to open it. In the case of an
infomercial, you want them to keep watching, and in the case of
an e-mail, you want them open up the e-mail and read your
message.

The key, therefore, is to get a person to want to open your
message by putting something into the subject area of your
e-mail that does not appear to be an advertising message –
one that would compel them to take the next step. And the
best trigger to use for this is the trigger of curiosity.

There are a number of ways you can use curiosity to literally
force a person to take the next step. You can then use this
valuable tool to put a reader in the correct frame of mind to
buy what you have to offer.

Once again, all the principles apply to every form of
communication — whether it be advertising, marketing or
personal selling. And to know these triggers is the key to more
effective communication and most importantly, the avoidance of
costly errors that waste time and money.

———

Joe Sugarman, the best-selling author and top copywriter
who has achieved legendary fame in direct marketing, is
best known for his highly successful mail-order catalog
company, JS&A. Joe’s new breakthrough book, “Triggers,”
cracks the human psychological code by identifying 30
triggers that influence people to buy.

http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/040814-triggers

:: top ::

Ask Carmen!

>> Question:

Hi Carmen,

This is going to sound like I’ve lost my mind, but,
has sp.a mming suddenly become a ‘good’ thing?

I ask because I’ve joined several discussion forums,
and a few of them have specials days of the week where
they allow posting of ads. For example, one board
has a, “Sp.am Thursday”.

Now, from what I understand, if the owners of the board
*allows* posting ads, it’s not sp.am, right?

On top of that, the owners of the boards will send an
e-mail notice to all members on that day and announce,
“It’s Sp.am Thursday! You’re welcome to come and sp.am
us with your ads!”

This sounds pretty stupid to me. Please clarify!

Sincerely,
Sharon Kendall
Subscriber since ‘98!

>> Answer:

Hi Sharon,

It sounds ridiculous to those of us who understand what
e-mail/forum sp.am is. Without going into detail, e-mail
sp.am is commercial e-mail that is sent to you without
your request or consent, and forum sp.am is posts that
are blatant advertisements. Both, frowned upon by
the Internet community.

Now, the very fact the owner of these boards are inviting
their users to come in and post their ads… no longer
makes those ads unsolicited. Therefore, not sp.am.

~ Carmen

:: top ::

What We’re Talking About…

“Dano” believes those who sell Internet marketing products
must be a scam, if they won’t offer him to use their
products and pay for it *after* he makes money.

Post your thoughts at:

http://www.aimdirect-ezine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=96

—

NEW! Instant Downline Building @ the Achievers Forum

Here’s how it works… be the first to post a new
network marketing program… the next person will join
under YOU, and it continues on and on!

Ready? Set… GO!

http://forum.aimdirect-ezine.com

:: top ::

AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox

This week’s Featured Fr-eebie:

** Type Pilot **

With Type Pilot, you can type frequently used text fast
and easy. You just type a word, and Type Pilot will
automatically replace it with a line or a paragraph.
Type Pilot is useful for writing standard phrases such
as signatures, email addresses, URLs, phone numbers,
etc. The program will work with any text editor.

I didn’t even have to type that paragraph : )
I used Type Pilot!

Get It Here:

http://AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/go/go.php/toolbox

This week’s Access info:
Password: (in e-mail)

Note: I’ve moved the toolbox to the forums to eliminate
having to maintain more pages than I need to… please
be sure you’re registered (it’s fr.ee) and logged in
before accessing the thread with this week’s password.

:: top ::

AimREFER: Earn FREE Premiere Sponsor Ads!

Tell your friends and colleagues about AimDIRECT Ezine!
In return, I’ll give you 1,000 AD VIEWS at the PREMIERE
SPONSOR position for every new subscriber joining via
your AimDIRECT Ezine signup page!

Click Here to Join AimREFER

:: top ::

Tell Me!!

Send in your COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS
for AimDIRECT Ezine! Letters to the Editor will be
considered for publication unless the writer requests
otherwise. We reserve the right to edit your submission
for clarity and space. Initials will be used on request
only if your name and e-mail address is included.

Carmen Maranon, Editor

http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/contact/

:: top ::

—
“In helping others, we shall help ourselves,
for whatever good we give out completes the
circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards

“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they
are the children of your soul, the blueprints of
your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill
Legal Information…

Copyright © 2004, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc.
and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved.

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content,
profitability or legality of any published articles or
advertisements contained within AimDIRECT Ezine.

It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by
the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining
to the products, services or opportunities they advertise.
Although all of the articles have been selected for their
content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine
does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or
services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before
reponding to, purchasing, or joining any offer.

AimDIRECT-Ezine.com is hosted by Host4Profit…
the 300MB business host that PAYS YOU BACK!

This list is powered by AutoResponse Plus 3™

AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine is registered with
the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA
ISSN: 1523-6617

]]>
			http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/08/14/issue2004-0814/feed/
		0
		
		
		Vol. 9 Issue 2 / I’m Not Sexy – and Neither are You.
		http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/05/16/issue2004-0516/
		http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/05/16/issue2004-0516/#comments
		Sun, 16 May 2004 20:46:25 +0000
		Carmen
				

		http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=114
		
			Vol. 9 Issue 2 / I’m Not Sexy - and Neither are You.

Ingredients

    * A Quick Note From Carmen
      > Thanks for Helping Us Sponsor a Child : )
      > Now Accepting Ads for AimDIRECT…
      > E-mail sucks… no more e-mail.
    * Internet Marketing Action Plan
      Please Stop Lying to Yourself.
    * Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED**
      I’m Not Sexy - and Neither are You.
    * Tune In Next Week:
      When I’ll show you how you can increase your income
      by making small adjustments to what you already have.
    * Subscription Management 

A Quick Note From Carmen

Hi there!

I’d like to welcome all new subscribers! I’m so pleased
to have you here with us, and hope you find AimDIRECT
insightful, informative, as well as entertaining!

***

Thanks for Helping Us Sponsor a Child : )

A few weeks ago, I sent an offer for a discount to
the “Money & Power: Interview with Allen Says” ebook.

All the money earned went to sponsoring a child under my
son Joshua’s name. He’s turning 3 next month, and one of
the special presents we’re giving him is a lesson in
kindness and compassion for another child who is less
fortunate than he is.

Fifteen wonderful readers took advantage of this offer.

Whether you did this out the kindness of your heart, or
you just wanted to grab a copy at the discount price…
Thank you. Our Joshua now has a “sibling” :-) 

You know what else was amazing?

I went to ChristanChildrensFund.org and arrived at a page
where you’re asked to enter some information about the
child you want to sponsor (ie. boy/girl, country, age).
I left it as, “Child in greatest need… location where
the need is greatest”, and the result?

An adorable 2 year old boy in the Philippines named…

Joshua.

***

Now Accepting Ads for AimDIRECT.

It’s been a while since I accepted ads for AimDIRECT.
And once again, the doors are open and I invite you to
check out our Grand Re-Opening low prices.

Remember, there’s only ONE “Premiere Sponsor” and FOUR
“Junior Sponsor” ads in each issue. Solo’s are also
available. If you’d like your ad to go out as quickly
as possible, please reserve your spot now.

***

E-mail sucks… no more e-mail.

At least for now. I’ve been having such a difficult time
sending and receiving e-mail through my ISP… then, I
finally got the opportunity to migrate to DSL and it was
totally kick-butt for a few weeks… then nothing.

See my post on my forum to get an idea of how e-mail is
damaging my business. Read it, especially if you’ve been
expecting to hear from me about an order, JV, etc.

Enjoy this week’s issue!

Respectfully Yours,
Carmen Maranon

“The vision must be followed by the venture.
It is not enough to stare up the steps…
we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havne

:: top ::

AimDIRECT Sponsor Ads

Introducing the world’s first PayPal coupon system!
Do you accept payments by PayPal? Are you active in eBay?
Offer coupons to visitors. Reward your best customers!
—————-

Catches every dirty trick used by spammers
to bypass filters - including Fake HTML
—————-

Easily add 1,000 subscribers or more
to your e-mail list within the next 10 days
—————-

Downloaded over four hundred times a day.
FRE.E book details how to use the drop shipping method to
run a successful business without falling into the traps.
—————-

See YOUR ad here for just $25:

:: top ::

Internet Marketing Action Plan…
Take a minute or two to DO IT NOW

Please Stop Lying to Yourself.

It’s no wonder so many people fail… would you invest
the time, money, effort, dedication, persistence, and the
frustration of failing and picking yourself back up in
order to continue moving forward with a smile…
to get something you don’t really want?

I’m talkin’ mustering the courage to be “strip-down-to
-the-skin-stand-in-front-of-the-bathroom-mirror-and-actually
-look-at-it-all” honest with yourself when setting goals.

What’s your answer when you ask yourself, “Why do I
*really* want to succeed with my Internet business?”

It’s nice to say things like, “I want to help others
with my talents… I deserve it… I want to be rich…
I don’t want to keep living paycheck to paycheck…”

Really? You want to start your own business and invest
your blood, sweat, and tears… just to be rich?

((raising an eyebrow))

This might seem like a perfectly sound reason at this
moment, but, look at what happens when you keep inserting,
“because”, until you get to the cold, hard truth.

“I want to be rich “because” I don’t want to keep living
paycheck to paycheck “because” I want my family to feel
secure “because” I am the head of the household and I
don’t want to feel like I’m failing my wife and kids.”

That’s more like it.

In the example above, you’ll be more enthusiastic and
motivated to do whatever you gotta do, no matter what it
takes, to be your wife’s knight in shining armor and a
super hero for your kids… than to just “be rich”.

What about you? Do you want to be admired by family and
friends? Do you need to prove your worth - your
intelligence? Are you longing for love and attention?
Do you want “them” to feel stupid for looking down at
you all this time, and envy you instead?

It’s okay… be honest with yourself. You don’t even
have to tell anyone. You’ll gain the upper hand by
acknowledging what you really want, instead of being
held prisoner by it.

:: top ::

Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED**

(Sorry, no audio this week because I have no voice. Actually, I
do - but, I sound like sandpaper against a wall. Next week, hopefully!)

I’m Not Sexy

I’m not talking about my appearance, attitude,
or state of mind. So, please don’t e-mail me asking
to expand on those things.

I’m talking about my method in teaching my clients
how to build and promote their online business.

Uhhh… what?

Look at some of your favorite marketing sites… those
you’ve bookmarked because the writer of the ad promised
to teach you how to become successful.

“I’ll show you how to increase the number of your opt-in
subscribers without paying for leads, using worthless
free services, ad swaps, etc.”

“Get more traffic to your site quickly with my super duper
1-2-punch method that’s easy enough for even my legally
blind, 91 year old grandmother to pull off!”

“Learn how to whip up sizzling ad copy that will increase
your sales and have visitors begging you for more!”

You read over these magic pages with drool sliding
down your chin, and excitement in your heart. You
whisper under your breath, “This is definitely the
solution to boost profit for my business!”.

You download the material (or access the membership site)
and as soon as you get your burning eyeballs on the product,
you shout in anger, “This is a scam! I’m not getting what I
thought I was getting. I better get my money back!”.

(Maybe you’re not all that dramatic and just quietly feel
like you keep seeing the same old information that’s not
exactly for you…)

Sound familiar?

People… these sales letters aren’t lying to you.

* You CAN increase your subscribers for free.

* You CAN get more traffic to your site quickly and easily.

* You CAN write copy that will greatly increase your sales.

Yes, You Can!

But, but, but… those ebooks and courses say I have to:

write articles to show potential customers I really know
what I’m talking about… team up with other webmasters…
practice writing copy by rewriting an already proven copy
on paper by hand… put subscription boxes and pop-ups on
my sites… Conduct a split-test for all my marketing
material… research my market… participate in forums…

Why, you are absolutely correct!

It ain’t sexy, is it?

Well, that’s because you were hoping, and expecting that
revealed inside the product is the address to a secret
website where hundreds of thousands of people gather and
wait for you to find them so they can all subscribe to
your newsletter and make you a millionaire.

Or maybe someone will finally confess that those
“guaranteed hits” programs can really work, and the
traffic you get from them are really targeted to exactly
what you’re selling, and there really is a place where
you can spend just $10 for a gazillionbillion “hits”
that will convert to a bazilliontrillion new customers
anxious to throw their life savings at you.

How about a magic word, number, or whatever else you
fantasized about… that you simply insert into your
existing site or copy, transforming it into a wild and
uncontrollable money machine without having to put
any effort into learning how to write…

Whoa there, hot stuff! Take a cold shower and come
back in 10 minutes.

Look through your hard drive and see just how many
marketing products you own. Have you read through them
all? Do you put into practice, split test, and fine-tune
all that they teach you?

How many articles have you written for the market you’re
targeting? Are you testing different pay-per-click
techniques? Do you split test your web and sales copy?
Name 20 webmasters or online business owners you’ve
contacted to possibly team up with.

What inspired me to write this is an e-mail I received
from someone who asked to cancel his Internet Marketing
Support Network membership.

“Cancel my account and refund my money [$1]. I need to
make money ASAP, but, what you teach in there is how to
find and create products and instructions on how to sell
it on the Internet. That’s not what I’m looking for.”

So, what were you looking for? To pay a buck and wake
up the next morning to find thousands of dollars in your
bank account just for being a member?

It’s an inevitable fact. No matter what those sales
letters say, you must be prepared to sweat. It takes
effort, testing, persistence, perseverance and constant
improvement and fine-tuning to be successful.

No matter how boring a technique or strategy may seem,
give it a try. You won’t find it so dull once you start
seeing the orders come in : )

I’m SO not sexy. I’ll leave that to JLo and Ben.

:: top ::

Automatically Add My Articles to Your Site!

Now you can add powerful Internet marketing
articles to your site by simply plugging in one
line of code into your web page!

These articles are updated on your website
automatically, and it’s FREE!! Keep your traffic
coming back to fresh, new content… without
having to update a thing!

:: top ::

Tune In Next Week:

When I’ll show you how you can increase your income by
making small adjustments to what you already have.

:: top ::

AimREFER: Earn FREE Premiere Sponsor Ads!

Tell your friends and colleagues about AimDIRECT Ezine!
In return, I’ll give you 1,000 AD VIEWS at the PREMIERE
SPONSOR position for every new subscriber joining via
your AimDIRECT Ezine signup page!

:: top ::

Tell Me!!

Send in your COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS
for AimDIRECT Ezine! Letters to the Editor will be
considered for publication unless the writer requests
otherwise. We reserve the right to edit your submission
for clarity and space. Initials will be used on request
only if your name and e-mail address is included.

Carmen Maranon, Editor

:: top ::

—
“In helping others, we shall help ourselves,
for whatever good we give out completes the
circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards

“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they
are the children of your soul, the blueprints of
your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill
Legal Information…

Copyright © 2004, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc.
and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved.

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content,
profitability or legality of any published articles or
advertisements contained within AimDIRECT Ezine.

It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by
the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining
to the products, services or opportunities they advertise.
Although all of the articles have been selected for their
content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine
does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or
services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before
responding to, purchasing, or joining any offer.

AimDIRECT-Ezine is hosted by Host4Profit…
the 300MB business host that PAYS YOU BACK!

This list is powered by AutoResponse Plus 3™

AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine is registered with
the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA
ISSN: 1523-6617
]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/05/16/issue2004-0516/feed/ 0 Vol. 9 Issue 1 / Why I Wouldn’t Buy From You http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/03/21/issue2004-0321/ http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/03/21/issue2004-0321/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2004 20:34:12 +0000 Carmen http://www.marketingchick.com/?p=108 Ingredients * A Quick Note From Carmen > Scammed In Vegas… Marketing 101 * How To Tell If You’re Listing *Benefits* — or, Just “Enhanced” Features. * Internet Marketing Action Plan You’ll meet entrepreneurs, CEOs and others through me, my personal contacts, their contacts, and so on… it’s a huge network, and FREE! * Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** > Starting or Running and Ezine? Why I Won’t Buy from You. * Ask Carmen! > FREE Spam Filtering tool to block “Fake HTML” spam. > Example of how NOT to ask me (or anyone) for help. > Quick Internet (mini)business startup tip. * AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox > Get More Customers Who Spend More Money More Frequently * Tune In Next Week: When I will tell you something about Adrian Ling, Bryan Kumar, and Harmony Major - and it’s not an endorsement for their products or anything like that… * Subscription Management A Quick Note From Carmen Hi there! I’d like to welcome all new subscribers! I’m so pleased to have you here with us, and hope you find AimDIRECT insightful, informative, as well as entertaining! *** I’m so embarrassed… This is my first issue since July 2003. I’ve been suffering from depression. With the combination of my parents taking back my sister (who’s been living with us since Feb ‘99) in January ‘03, only to send her right back in July ‘03… followed by my grandfather passing away in late October ‘03, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to continue with my daily routine. I’ve found several very helpful resources to assist me in dealing with these issues… and have made a decision to get back on my feet and take charge of where I want to be at this time. Anyway, here’s my attempt at getting back to ‘normal’. Boy, it’s tough! * * * “Marketing-101 by a Vegas Scammer” Check out my blog entry at: http://blog.MarketingChick.com My mom’s friend voluntarily handed $500 over to a thief in Vegas… a scammer so good at prequalifying his leads, he had her wishing she had more to give him! *** Just a reminder… I have a tendency to jump into “Japanese/Filipino” mode where my sentences come out sounding like an old Asian woman telling stories to her grand children as she rows a little boat across the river. So, if you catch that, think, “Wow! Look how well Carmen speaks and writes in English!” - and ignore the fact that I’ve lived here in the U.S.A. for over 25 years. *** Please keep an eye out… if you want to personally work with me for a step-by-step automated Internet business building and promotion. Sure, seminars, books, and e-courses are fantastic tools… but, how many times have you lost focus, motivation and enthusiasm just a few days after you’ve finished it? Think about that, okay? (Not a reseller/JV promotion. I want to work with you via web and phone to quickly get your butt moving and make you some money to deposit into your bank account!) Details will be sent immediately after I’ve sent this issue. *** Moving forward… what better way to start “my” year by ticking off a bunch of fellow publishers - LOL! But, I know y’all will appreciate my honesty… and even get a chuckle or two : ) I can hear my Joint Venture list shriveling up… Respectfully Yours, Carmen Maranon “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps… we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havne :: top :: How To Tell If You’re Listing *Benefits* — or, Just “Enhanced” Features. (( Premium Content )) You’ve been told by every guru and their mother-in-law… Don’t list “features” - showcase your “benefits”!! However, after reviewing hundreds of sales and web copies, it’s obvious most people still can’t distinguish between “benefits” from enhanced features (aka advantages). Here’s a rundown: 1. A FEATURE is the characteristic of a product. 2. An ADVANTAGE is what the feature does to improve the customer’s current condition. 3. A BENEFIT is what the feature means to your customer. A simple exercise to help you identify the benefits: Product: Breath spray Features: 1. It contains mega-concentrated ingredients 2. It comes in a small, nonobvious container 3. It has a mild citrus flavor What would you choose as “benefit” for each feature above? How about… 1. It only takes one quick spray to activate 2. It can be used discreetly 3. It tastes good If your answers are similar to the ones above… you’ve successfully listed the product’s Advantages. Here’s the proper way to find the Benefits 1. The First characteristic of the product (feature) is that it contains concentrated ingredients - what this feature does (advantage) is, it only takes one quick spray to activate. What this means to your customer (benefit) is… >> Get the full story. :: top :: Internet Marketing Action Plan… Take a minute or two to DO IT NOW Networking & Masterminding - Absolutely Free. You know, you don’t have to go at this alone… in fact, Napoleon Hill explaned in “Think And Grow Rich”, that successful people surround themselves with others who help, advise, encourage, and motivate them to become more than they could’ve ever been on their own. A mastermind group creates power… access to brilliance and intelligence that can never be achieved by an individual on their own… So, you’re invited to join my mastermind group. It’s free - but, you are required to bring your goals, ideas and determination! Ryze is a networking service to help you grow your business. You’ll meet entrepreneurs, CEOs and other people through me, my personal contacts, your own contacts, their contacts, and so on… it’s huge! You’ll be able to organize your own network of people through me, my contacts, their contacts, and so on! Register for your free networking account at: http://www.marketingchick.com/ryze Visit my network home page at: http://www.marketingchick.com/ryze_marketingchick Already a member? Be sure to sign my guesbook and add me as a friend : ) :: top :: Down ‘N Dirty — Carmen **UNCENSORED** Starting or Running and Ezine? Why I Won’t Buy from You. Hear the complete audio article:Get Your InstantAudio I’ve recently started unsubscribing myself from many ezines: * I’m tired of receiving sales letters “disguised” as articles. * There’s nothing wrong with publishers endorsing products to their readers. I’ve purchased through endorsements because I felt I could trust the person making the endorsement. If you’re thinking of starting an ezine: * Maintaining a quality ezine takes work. * Determine if you’re willing (or it is cost effective) to dedicate time into providing your readers with fresh, useful content. * Write/find 50 articles your audience will find interesting. * Upload them to an autoresponder sequence delivering one article every week. * Send a “broadcast” message with your recommendations. * Whenever you find new articles for your subscribers, add them to your sequence. Get out of thinking that ezine subscribers are just people you can “sell to” Brain Tattoo: Building a relationship with your audience and providing your loyal readers with quality content is absolutely critical for the success and profitablity of your ezine. :: top :: Ask Carmen! Welcome to the Very First “Ask Carmen” Audio Edition! I did the best I can with this gigantic canker sore under my upper lip (couldn’t have done it without “Kanka” by Blistex… making this disgusting and painful sore more tolerable!!) Hear the complete audio article:Get Your InstantAudio We’ll cover three messages today: * What to do with those “Fake HTML” spam. * Example of how NOT to ask me (or anyone) for help (booo! hisss!). * Quick Internet mini-business startup tip. Resources: * G-Lock SpamCombat * Overture search term suggestiong tool * GetResponse Autoresponder :: top :: AimDIRECT Marketing Toolbox This week’s Featured Fr-eebie: ** The Buy Impulse ** 26 Mind Control Tools That Get More Customers Who Spend More Money More Frequently This week’s Access info: See e-mail for username & password :: top :: Tune In Next Week: When I will tell you something about Adrian Ling, Bryan Kumar, and Harmony Major - and it’s not an endorsement for their products or anything like that… These 3 individuals are very well known in the Internet marketing scene, and a ton of people respect and admire them… but, there are a few things I need to get off my chest - stuff most others don’t address. They have no idea I’m going to write about them… it’s not a joint venture tactic… I just feel it’s my responsiblity to let this out in public. :: top :: AimREFER: Earn FREE Premiere Sponsor Ads! Tell your friends and colleagues about AimDIRECT Ezine! In return, I’ll give you 1,000 AD VIEWS at the PREMIERE SPONSOR position for every new subscriber joining via your AimDIRECT Ezine signup page! Click Here to Join AimREFER :: top :: Tell Me!! Send in your COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS for AimDIRECT Ezine! Letters to the Editor will be considered for publication unless the writer requests otherwise. We reserve the right to edit your submission for clarity and space. Initials will be used on request only if your name and e-mail address is included. Carmen Maranon, Editor http://www.AimDIRECT-Ezine.com/contact/ :: top :: — “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” - Napoleon Hill Legal Information… Copyright © 2004, ALACAR Interactive Media, Inc. and Carmen Maranon. All rights reserved. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within AimDIRECT Ezine. It is the advertiser’s responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or opportunities they advertise. Although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this ezine does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles. Carefully investigate each advertiser’s claims before reponding to, purchasing, or joining any offer. AimDIRECT-Ezine.com is hosted by Host4Profit… the 300MB business host that PAYS YOU BACK! This list is powered by AutoResponse Plus 3™ AimDIRECT Entrepreneur Ezine is registered with the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA ISSN: 1523-6617 ]]> http://www.marketingchick.com/2004/03/21/issue2004-0321/feed/ 0