Over the past 11 1/2 years, I've created dozens of
information products, and sold hundreds of affiliate
products. I've discovered what does and what doesn't work
in quickly creating AND marketing information products.
I've also shared with dozens of clients, and thousands of
subscribers, my very successful methods for earning a
living online. When I say shared, I'm referring to those
who were willing to listen and apply what I taught them.
Those who listened, but didn't do, aren't counted in that
number because to me "sharing" is a two-way communication.
Today, I'd like to share with you exactly what I've
instructed dozens of people to do when they've came to me
with cash-flow emergencies. These were people who usually
came to me looking for a loan or a hand-out. Instead, I
usually had them do what I'm about to share with you.
I've learned over the year that giving handouts too quickly
only conditions the person to come back a few weeks later
for another handout. I believe that it's important to
teach them a proven method for extricating themselves from
such situations.
Here's the exact plan that I've directed many people to
follow:
1) Look around you, and identify two large, related
problems that you could create two information product as
solutions to. These need to be painful enough problems that
people are acutely aware of, that they desperately want to
solve , and that they'll pay for good solutions to.
You generally want related problems because the plan calls
for selling both solutions to the SAME people. You're going
to sell the first solution through affiliates, giving them
the majority of the money, and then you're going to keep at
least half of the money on the second (backend) product.
You're going to set up you sales process so that you "lead"
with one product and then offer the second product as an
upsell, or special offer after the first purchase is made.
The reason that you're going to pay your affiliates so much
is that you need them NOW. Without their enthusiastic
promotion of your products, this plan often CAN'T work very
quickly.
The most CRITICAL part of this whole plan is step 1, and
the most CRITICL part of step 1 is making sure that you
identify a real problem that people actually want to solve.
Otherwise, you end up creating products that no one will
buy.
When I look at why products fail, the number one reason (in
my opinion) is that demand wasn't verified beforehand).
Teaching you how to do the research is beyond the scope of
this short article, but it only needs to take an hour or
two. It IS too important to skip. An excellent guide to
conducting painless research is Steve Wagenheim's "Niche
Research Revolution."
If you need help with the research, it's at:
http://TheRealSecrets.com/SteveWagenheim/
2) Create the solution (product), or better yet, modify
and improve on an existing solution.
If you are good at researching, or already an expert on a
topic, then by all means write an ebook on it, or create a
piece of software that solves a big problem. At the same
time, in many niches you are surrounded by thousands of
experts who have already done the majority of the work for
you. They've already created the product and will often
sell (or even GIVE) you the rights to it. Then all you need
to do is refine and improve on these product that you have
"Private Label Rights" to.
Just go to any search engine, and do a search on your
keywords plus the term "private label right" or "PLR," and
you'll locate dozens of sources. Alternatively, just visit
my blog, and you'll often discover dozens of people giving
away private label rights for various reasons. That blog is
at: http://WillieCrawford.com/blog/
Simply sit down and refine those PLR products (where
someone has already done 90% of the work) into something
truly valuable.
3) Get a few people to critique your product, offering you
feedback that both allows you to improve your solution and
that perhaps you can use as testimonials. After your
product is created, simply post on a discussion forum
(after confirming that it's permissible) that you are
looking for product reviewers. You'll get dozens of
volunteers.
If you don't get dozens of volunteers, I would take that as
an indication that you haven't really found a painful
enough problem... at least not one that that particular
community cares about.
Do one product all the way through until it's ready to
launch and then do the other one. For many people, doing
them simultaneously is too confusing.
4) Set these products up for sale with their own affiliate
program. Use a system such as Rapid Action Profits that
allows you to pay instant commissions. The instant
commissions are "key" because instant cashflow is as
important to many of your potential affiliates as it is to
you. You'll recruit lot of affiliates who are promoting
your products almost on impulse.
That's great!
You want people who will promote your product today rather
than a week or two from now.
I recommend Rapid Action Profits as the affiliate program
platform because it's inexpensive, easy to set up, and you
can use it on as many different websites (with as many
different products as you want) after purchasing the
software just once. I use it on over a dozen websites.
You can get RAP here:
http://TheRealSecrets.com/RapidActionProfits/
Rapid Action Profits is designed to work with Paypal,
meaning that you don't need a merchant account, and that
anyone with a Paypal account can become one of your
affiliates.
5) Recruit affiliates by posting to forums that have a
"joint ventures" section. Post to communities set up to
facilitate your recruiting affiliates such as JV Alert and
The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers.
Announce to your email list that you are looking for
affiliates.
Private Message (PM) or email ideal affiliates that you've
noticed promoting similar products, and ask them directly
to promote yours. Be very clear in these communications or
you're likely to get declined or to not get firm
commitments to promote your products.
6) Turn customers into affiliates. Email customers who
have purchased your previous products thanking them, and
pointing out your new product(s). Explain why it's a match
for them and rather than focusing on making a sale, make
your focus recruiting them as an affiliate (if appropriate).
Set up your autoresponder system so that any time anyone
purchases your product they are automatically invited to
become an affiliate. Consider adding a blurb right on your
download page that invites them to join your affiliate
program.
Your best potential affiliate ARE those who know and like
your product, so it makes perfect sense to recruit
customers as affiliates.
7) Use article marketing to generate interest and find
customers. Write a 500 - 1000 word article that:
a) Describes the problem that your product solves.
b) Explains why this really IS a problem that they DO want
to resolve.
c) Proves why your product is the perfect solution.
Submit these articles to every appropriate article
directory that you can locate as well as post them on your
blogs, your sites, and on discussion forums that have
article sections. If you can afford it, use an article
submission service such as ISnare.com or
ThePhantomWriters.com. This will save you considerable time
and quickly get your articles in 100 times as many places.
8) Leave "the land of excuses" and just do it! Make the
decision that you're going to implement this plan, and then
instead of looking for reasons why you can't implement it,
look at the very real reasons why you MUST implement this
plan.
Acknowledge that the key to the success of your plan is
taking massive, immediate action, and refusing to EVER give
up.
9) Update, test and track your sales process. As your
articles, affiliates, and emails drive traffic through your
site, evaluate how well your sales letters are converting.
The ability to split-test, and determine the exact
conversion rates for your sales letters is built right into
Rapid Action Profits. Test four or five different versions
of the sales letter changing only minor things on each one,
such as the main headline or the number of testimonials.
When you discover one sales letter that works better than
others, keep the one that is working, but then create a
slightly different version of the winner to test against
your new "control."
10) Rinse and repeat. Once the sales start coming in, and
you see that this formula does indeed work, use the same
system to roll out other products. You are now building an
army of active, happy affiliates. Offer them other,
equally-lucrative products to promote.
Don't allow the momentum to stop once you get it going -
that's incredibly wasteful.
11) IMPORTANT: Slow down enough to act rationally rather
than in desperation. I put this step at the bottom because
I want it at the top of your mind as you get started.
As you implement this simple, proven plan, make sure that
you take a deep breath and don't act out of desperation.
People who feel like that "HAVE" to get results today,
often make very bad decisions. Slow down enough to make
sure that you're actually doing each of the preceding 10
steps, and in particular make sure that you really
confirmed that what you're offering the market is something
that they want.
I've watched dozens of people use this exact method when
they suddenly found themselves needing to make a house
payment, pay a medical bill, or catch up with mortgage
payments... and their bank balance was "less than zero."
This system does work. If you really examine it, there's
nothing magical or mysterious about it. It's just common
sense, and taking massive action. Now it's time for you to
apply both :-)
----------------------------------------------------
Willie Crawford is an internationally-acclaimed speaker,
author,
seminar and radio show host, and leading Internet marketing
expert. When not out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Willie
can
be found sharing his 11 1/2 years of online marketing
experience
with members of The Internet Marketing Inner Circle.
Join them at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
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