John Dilbeck selected as Sitesell Featured Fan on Facebook

October 16, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 10 Comments
Filed under: Facebook, John Dilbeck, Sitesell and Site Build It 

I am deeply honored because I was selected as the most recent Featured Fan on Sitesell’s Facebook Page.

Photo showing John Dilbeck as Sitesell Featured Fan

John Dilbeck is the most recent Sitesell Featured Fan

As I told in the story when I was selected, Ken Evoy and Sitesell have played very important roles in my life over the last decade. I am deeply touched that they selected me as one of their featured fans.

Thank you very much to the Sitesell team. I intend to continue using SBI in my marketing business for a long time.

Act on your dream!

JD

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Sitesell $50,000 Challenge – no challengers yet

October 16, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business, Sitesell and Site Build It 

It’s been about a week since Ken Evoy issued the Sitesell $50,000 Challenge and nobody has come forward to try to win the cash. There are about three weeks to go.

Now is the time for all the people who say they have a better and/or cheaper system than SBI that still has the same level of documented success to go state their case.

For years, as thousands of people built successful sites using the SBI system, there has been a constant stream of detractors and people who claim they have a better, more successful system that will help thousands of people succeed better than SBI does.

Where are they, now?

Will there be a challenger?

Go here for full details about the Sitesell $50,000 Challenge.

Act on your dream!

JD

Tags:

Promote your business with Lulu

October 12, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 6 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Books, Lulu, Marketing, Promote Yourself, Promotional Products, Self-Publishing 

I first learned about Lulu several years ago and had big plans for writing and selling at least one book, there. Then, life intervened. Now that I’m recovering my health, I’m slowly getting back on track and I’ve started outlining some possible books that I’ll write and sell.

Primarily, I’m doing this in order to establish my expertise in specific areas and I’m in the process of moving my consulting business in those directions.

(Sometimes this can be frustrating, because I want to do it now, but I know the value in planning. So, I’ll outline the books and think about the contents, but I’m working on my new business plans and marketing plans, first. Plan first. Implement second.)

What is Lulu?

Here’s how they describe themselves on their homepage:

Lulu.com brings the world of online book publishing and book printing to you. Looking to self-publish? Lulu’s print on demand (POD) solutions make publishing your own book quick and easy. Create a book in minutes, publish with the click of a mouse, distribute, sell and print books to order. It’s that simple. Trying to make a photo book? Want to make your own calendar? Our easy-to-use online publishing tool allows you to publish and print your own high-quality photo book or calendar in minutes. Want to convert your book into an eBook? We’ve got you covered with our easy to use eBook publishing tools. With Lulu you can self publish and distribute your eBook in EPUB format making it compatible with the Apple iPad, Sony Reader, Stanza and more. Not looking to make a book or print a book? Lulu has a great selection of books, photo books and eBooks for you to buy. With our great prices and large selection, shopping for books at Lulu is an easy choice!

I’ve been doing some researching, and I believe that Lulu is the best, one-stop place to publish physical books, ebooks, and epub books for iPad and Nook (and similar devices).

Not only can you publish your book there, but you can sell them in their store and earn commissions.

I am not interested in fiction books. Now and then, I enjoy reading a good well-written science fiction or epic fantasy novel, but I am interested mainly in business and promoting my business and helping my clients promote their businesses.

I believe that Lulu is going to play a big part in that.

Establish your expertise

It’s a well-known tactic for information marketers to write and sell books about their topics of interest. Sometimes, these books are sold. Sometimes, they’re given to prospects as part of the marketing mix. Sometimes, they’re used as free bonuses when you purchase something else.

Here’s an outstanding example of that, in action: This is an offer for Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, a place for prosperity without all the bull.

I not only read what Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy write, I study their videos, special offers, wording of their promotions, and the upsells, cross-sells, follow-ups, and delivery methods. They know what they are doing and have lots of experience.

And, if you’ll purchase what they offer and study it, they’ll teach you how to do a much better job of promoting your business, too.

I’m in the process of adapting their methods for my own business and for my clients’ businesses.

No, most of my clients will not write a book, so maybe I’ll include part of their story in a chapter of a book I’ll write.

I believe that books can be used to demonstrate your understanding of a particular topic and also can show your ability to organize and present that information in a way that is valuable to your prospective customers and clients.

For example, Audrey Owen has a manuscript editing business. In addition to her Writer’s Helper website, she has also written an ebook on the subject. When you subscribe to her free Editor’s Notes newsletter, you get a Tip Sheet as a bonus.

Here’s a short video about Audrey and her editing business…


If you’re going to write a book for publication, you really need a good editor to help you whip it into shape before you publish. Lulu has editing services and I’m happy to recommend Audrey.

Promote your business and help a non-profit organization, too

I also think books can be used to market your business and promote a worthwhile cause, at the same time.

For example, I know a professional photographer who specializes in photographic portraits of newborns and babies. She’s very good at what she does.

She’s also one of the photographers who volunteers her time and service for a non-profit organization. The organization has strict rules about using their name in any marketing promotions, and I don’t know those rules. So, to make sure I don’t cause any problems, I won’t mention her name, her business’ name, nor the name of the organization.

However, it is an organization whose mission she supports, and, in addition to volunteering, she want to raise some money to donate.

She asked me a simple question last week. Did I know anywhere she could get custom calendars printed with photos she had taken over the last year, so that she could sell those calendars and raise money to donate to the organization?

I sell promotional products to help my clients, but I did not know a company that would do what she wanted to do, in short runs, at reasonable prices. So, I spent a day or two looking for an answer to this question.

I found two companies. One of them is Lulu.

To tell the truth, while I was so sick, I forgot all about Lulu, even though it was high on my radar a few years ago.

I learned that they have added photo books and customized calendars into the services they offer. It looks like she can create the calendar and then have two options for selling them. She can buy as many as she wants and have them shipped to her, so she can sell them to her clients, or she can sell them in the Lulu marketplace and then donate the commissions she receives. Or, she could do both.

By the way, here’s a link to their calendar page: Great Gift – Create a Calendar for $12.49 at Lulu.com!

I have not talked to her about this, yet. I still have a couple of things to compare, before I give her my recommendation.

One consideration is price.

The other company I’m considering offers what looks to be a similar product and the cost is less. They do not do all the things that Lulu does and they do not have a marketplace in which she could sell her calendars. But, she could save money in the production of the calendars, purchase more of them for the same cost, sell them at the same price, and raise more money to donate to the foundation.

Both companies offer volume discounts on purchases, and they both will sell as few as one calendar. So, to me, it makes sense to create the same calendar at both companies, order a copy, compare them for quality, and then decide which way to go.

Again, I’m ahead of myself here, because I haven’t talked to her about this, and she may decide not to do it. But, I still think it is a good way to raise money for anyone with great photos and people who would like to buy them.

(If you have people in the shots, be sure to get a model release before doing this — even if they are good friends. Do the paperwork.)

As a promotional products dealer, I can get some very nice calendars with a variety of themes in units of hundreds or more for much lower prices. For example, I can supply Norman Rockwell calendars in units of 150 for about $1.20 each. That’s a lot less than the price of a similar calendar from Lulu.

But, that’s an apple-to-oranges comparison. Price is not the only issue, here. In fact, price is not the main issue here, but it is a factor that needs to be considered.

The second consideration is quality and the ability to customize the product.

This photographer wants a custom calendar with the portraits she created, not something Norman Rockwell created.

She’s going to sell a few dozen calendars, not thousands of them. (At least, not at first.)

Her primary goal is to raise money and donate the proceeds to the foundation. In addition to donating her time and services, she wants to donate more money.

So, it’s going to cost more to produce the custom calendars she wants to sell.

In this case, the price of the calendar probably won’t matter to the people that buy it, either. There is no other calendar, anywhere, that will compare with hers, especially for the families of the babies who will be featured in the portraits.

So, what does that have to do with promoting my business by writing a book?

Hold your horses, partner. I’m getting to that.

In her case, her expertise is in creating beautiful portraits. So, a calendar makes a great way for her to show her expertise and raise money for the organization she wants to support.

Since she has demonstrable expertise and talent in her niche — creating photographic portraits of babies — she could probably also demonstrate her expertise by writing some short books about the subject. It would give her a good chance to educate her clients in advance of the sessions, would serve to differentiate her from her competition, and also would help other photographers improve their skills, too.

To me, that sounds like something that is worth doing.

Any time you can educate your prospects and clients and differentiate yourself from your competition, you are increasing the odds of earning more profit.

If she does decide to write and sell those books, I think Lulu is a good choice for publishing them as real, physical books, downloadable ebooks, and epubs that can be sold or given for free for people to read on their phones, iPods, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, etc.

I think it would be good marketing on her part — provided that she writes really good books! That’s the key to this. She has to establish her expertise. She does that, already, by showing her portraits on her website, blog, and Facebook. The books would extend her “exposure” (pardon the pun) by showing her attitude and thought processes, and by helping readers do a better job in their own portrait photography.

And — don’t discount this — it never hurts to be “the guy that wrote the book” on a particular topic.

Expertise Sells.

Did you know that about 80% of people don’t consider price as the most important factor when making their decision to purchase, and from whom?

Establishing expertise is one way you can “rise above the pack” of your competitors and sell your own services at a higher price, and many of your prospects will willingly purchase at the higher price.

But, to do that, you have to demonstrate that there is a difference between you and your competitors. That’s where writing a book can be important.

(Of course, there is a small danger that you’ll educate your competition, too, but that’s probably not much of a problem as long as you continue to develop your skills and stay ahead of them.)

Plan ahead

If you’re going to write a book and you’re going to publish it at Lulu, then be sure to write it so that it will fit one of their formats! It makes sense to establish the format of your book before you write it, rather than having to go back and change it when you find that you’d rather it be a different size.

If you’re going to create an epub, the same thinking applies. Learn about the final product before you start writing.

Already have a book?

If you already have written a book, then you’ll need to modify it to match the format that Lulu requires. You’ll have to do some reworking, most likely.

Promote your business — and yourself

If you really do have expertise in a particular niche or subculture, then spread the word! Let your clients and prospects know about it! Don’t just tell them you know it, show them.

Write a pamphlet or a full book on the subject. Demonstrate what you know and educate your prospects before they become your clients.

One caveat: Make sure the contents, format, and look of the book reflect and enhance your expertise in your niche. If the book comes across as boring, unorganized, or unprofessional, do not publish it! Either rewrite it or scrap the idea.

The same holds true for the appearance of the book. The same information can be presented in some sheets of paper stapled together, as sheets of paper in a customized 3-ring binder, as a wire-wrapped book, or as a paperback or hardback bound book. They can have a simple or a professional cover. They can have a table of contents and an index, or not.

Make sure that the format in which you present the information matches the style and feelings for which you strive in your business.

If you’re going to do it, do it right. Make sure the tone of the presentation is as close to what you’d say if you were talking in person with your best customer or client. Make sure the quality and presentation of the book matches the style of the products and services you deliver to that best client, too.

Make the book an asset, not a liability.

Open a free account at Lulu

It’s free to open an account at Lulu and to learn how their services work. Some of their services are free and others are reasonably priced — and you can choose which ones you need, based on what you want to do with your book, calendar, or whatever you create.

To get started, click the Lulu logo, below…

They have a community of members and lots of services that can help you create and publish your work.

You can experience their sales process by buying a book from their marketplace and/or downloading an ebook.

Lulu receives on average 1,000 new independent book titles every week. Their authors can be found on the world’s largest book marketplaces, such as Lulu, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBay, and Google Book Search.

With some work, you can be one of those authors.

My projects

Over three years ago, I was starting to get serious about publishing on Lulu, and I uploaded a free ebook (actually a newsletter from one of my sites) as a test. I never got around to taking it down. If you’re interested, (why would you be?), here’s the Spring 2008 edition of my Act On Your Dream! newsletter.

I planned on writing more — and better — newsletters and books, but life and death got in the way. Now that I’m back on track, I’m looking forward to putting more items, of better quality, in my lonely little store!

By the way, I have completely forgotten everything I learned about self-publishing on Lulu, so when I finish my new business plan and marketing plans, I’ll start relearning how to use Lulu. I may even ask you for advice!

A year from now, I plan to have a few more newsletters and maybe a short book or two.

(My cousin challenged me to write a romance novel and she keeps prodding me to get to work on it. It’s going to be interesting to see if a guy who knows practically nothing about romance can write a novel that won’t make you cringe when you read it. The working title is, “The man with no clue.” That pretty much describes me when it comes to romance novels. I happen to think that writing is writing and it’s not that much different to write a romance as it is to write a persuasive marketing piece, and somehow — I don’t remember the details — I found myself challenged to put up or shut up. Who knows? I may even finish it. It’ll be a very short novel! If I do finish it, I’m then going to see if I can sell it. See, Jacque, I haven’t forgotten! Love ya. Hugs.)

There’s lots to do. It’s going to be a very busy year!

Lulu affiliate program

Lulu’s affiliate program is administered through the Google Ad Network.

What do you think?

If you’re an affiliate marketer, you may be interested in their affiliate program.

If you’re an author or business owner, you may be interested in publishing your work through them.

I’m interested in both.

Act on your dream!

JD

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Sitesell issues a fifty thousand dollar challenge!

October 9, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business, Sitesell and Site Build It, Success and Failure 

Have you heard the old line, “Put your money where your mouth is?”

Ken Evoy is doing just that. He has issued a challenge. He posted the challenge on Sitesell’s Facebook page (click the $50,000 challenge in the menu on the left of that page to go right to the challenge). Briefly, here it is…

Ken Evoy issues fifty thousand dollar challenge

If you can find documented proof that another product, or collection of information and tools (see tools.sitesell.com), delivers everything that SBI! does (or more), at the price of SBI! (or less) AND that product documents success to the depth that SBI! does (see proof.sitesell.com), we will pay you $50,000.

Here’s a direct link to the Sitesell $50,000 Challenge. Be sure to read the entire status post and the first comment, which contains the official rules of this contest.

I’ve been hearing people say for years that SBI is overpriced and that there are better and cheaper ways to do just as well. Well, here’s your opportunity to show Ken your better solution. If you win this challenge, you can not only earn bragging rights, but you can get cold hard cash (well, probably a company check) for your effort.

I would try it myself, but I just spent the last five years searching diligently for a system or group of tools and information that was better than Sitesell’s SBI. I failed in that quest, and now I am 100% comfortable in saying that SBI is the best system out there for an individual or small team — especially if they have limited technical skills — to build an online business. I have no doubt at all.

Won’t I feel foolish if someone wins this challenge?

Yes, I will, for a few minutes, and then I’ll go test it for myself. I honestly don’t think there will be a winner in this challenge — except for Sitesell and all of us who enjoy using SBI.

After my five year search, and testing other products that looked like they might be good enough, I’ve closed almost all of my test sites and I’m going back to working on my SBI sites.

I would love to win that $50,000, but I have nothing to submit to the challenge.

So, I’ll just get back to work and EARN it.

Do not post your entries and contenders here. Go to the Sitesell $50,000 Challenge and post your entry as a comment in that thread. Read the rules.

Don’t dawdle. This challenge is for one month. It expires at midnight on November 8, 2011 (Eastern Time).

Who will win? Sitesell’s SBI — or a challenger?


(Oh, I forgot to mention that their Facebook page now has over 40,000 people who like it, and more are joining every day.)

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. Knowing the folks at Sitesell as well as I do (I’ve been a happy customer and affiliate for over ten years), I’m willing to bet — if there is a winner to this challenge — that we’ll see SBI extended to be even better than the winner, and that they won’t raise the price on SBI. I already know of some big improvements that will be introduced to SBI over the next few months and I can’t wait to start using them.

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Focus on small business owners

October 9, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 4 Comments
Filed under: Business, Dan Kennedy, Marketing 

In the past, I’ve written mostly for people who are thinking about making more money from home. I think I’ve offered some good advice over the years.

Now, however, I’m changing my focus and will address most of my writing on this blog and other websites towards people who have already made a commitment to owning, running, and profiting from a small business — whether it is a brick and mortar business, a service business, or an online business.

Business owners know that they don’t have time to waste. They know that it often makes more sense to hire an expert than to spend months learning new skills that are not crucial to the success of their main business. They know that investing in appropriate tools is better and more effective that using the cheapest available option. That having a good marketing system is better than one that performs poorly, or having no marketing system, at all.

You know that it makes sense to invest in tools and systems that help you make more profit.

You know that it takes a lot of time, effort, work, creativity, and sheer dogged determination to succeed in owning and profiting from a business of your own. It’s not easy, but when things come together, it can be very rewarding, both financially and personally.

It is an achievement to build a business that survives and it is a thrill to build a business that thrives.

Tire kickers vs. Business owners

I like offering advice to people who are just thinking about getting started, but I’ve lost patience with the majority of you.

So, I’m going to spend the great bulk of my time working with people who have already made the commitment to achievement and success.

You get it. You understand the challenges and the rewards.

You are my target market. You are the person I can help the most.

And, frankly, you are the person who is most likely to invest in what I’m recommending. You’re willing to spend money and to invest your time and effort — if — if it will increase your profit.

I’ve already decided that I’m going to build my marketing systems and I’m going to focus on helping business owners. Right now, I plan to close my blogs no later than December 31, 2012 and possibly sooner.

At some point within the next 15 months, I will stop giving away my best advice and will offer it only to paying clients.

There are people who are happy to pay good money for what I know. I’m going to stop giving it away for free.

I freely admit that I’m not a marketing expert.

Surprise!

But, one of the things I do best is to seek out and find people who are marketing experts and then I adapt their marketing methods using online tools and help business owners do it, too.

Sometimes I don’t even have to do any adapting, because these experts have already built the tools and all I have to do is learn how to use them, prove to myself that they work as advertised, and then help you find them so you can use them in your business.

I have come to realize that the majority of my readers are not looking for serious business tools, techniques, and experts. They’re looking for free keys to the imaginary magic Internet money maker. I’m going to ignore the tire kickers and talk to the business owners.

I’m not sure why it has taken me this long to make this change. It’s something I knew when I was a computer consultant for all those years. I think part of the reason that it has taken me so long to focus on the right group of people was because I was so distracted by caring for Mom and by fighting my own health battles that I just wasn’t able to really focus on my goals and the best way to reach them.

Over the last several months, I’ve done a lot of thinking, strategizing, and refocusing and have a clearer destination for where I want to be in a couple of years.

It’s all about offering the right products and services to the people who want them, are motivated to use them, and can afford to buy them right now. When the right person finds the right product and it will produce the results they want, they are ready, willing, and able to make a decision and go for it. They know how to commit to achieving their goals and are ready to do the work.

When we try to sell to everyone, we end up selling to nobody.

Why?

Because our message is scattered and unfocused.

When you come to this blog — however you find your way here — I want you to know that I’m focused on marketing and business success, and I want you to know that I know about some tools that can help you. I’ve spent years comparing and testing, and I promote only the best.

Now, maybe I’ve missed some, and I am always open to suggestions, but I’m not interested in second-rate. Life is short. I want to use the best tools and techniques to market my business.

Free is expensive!

I don’t care how many times someone tells me that there is a free way to do something, I have learned through experience that we always pay — in one way or the other — when we use free tools.

Free tools change without warning. Free tools disappear. Free tools are unreliable.

I am willing to debate this point with anyone, as long as you’re earning at least $500 per month, consistently, using your free tools.

Free tools often waste the one thing that is irreplaceable — time.

But, just because we pay for something does not mean it is worth our time, effort, and money.

I’ve bought and tried things that did not work as advertised. In some cases the tool was great, but not what I needed for the way I like to work. In other cases, the tool just didn’t live up to its claims.

Sometimes I got a refund. Sometimes the guarantee was worthless and a refund never materialized. I wrote it off to experience and moved on. I can replace money. It’s all around us.

Losing a little money now and then doesn’t bother me. Losing months of wasted effort bothers me. A lot!

Almost as bad as free is the lowest priced service or product.

Although this is not always true, I generally find that the least expensive product or service is also the least effective. When someone only markets on the basis of price, it means they have no unique selling proposition that makes the value of their offer greater than their competitors. Without a good USP, they can only compete on price.

I prefer to find the company, product, service, and/or person that can help me increase my profit and be reliable over the long term. I’m more than willing to pay more for that.

Ken Evoy told me that over ten years ago, and I didn’t pay as close attention as I should have. I’ll be talking more about him in my next post, later today.

I can’t replace time.

And neither can you. No matter who you are, time is finite.

No matter how successful you are, or how much money you have, time marches on. Therefore, I think it is important to do the best we can with the talents we have and to invest in improving our knowledge and skills, in whatever time we have.

Success and failure

In my next post, I’m going to announce a challenge, but in this one, I want to make a point.

Some people drift through life with no real goals or directions. They try this and that, but never really commit to one or two big goals in life.

Others — perhaps you — set goals and work hard to achieve them.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Thomas Edison

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.” — John Maxwell

Some of us decide what we want and we commit to working hard until we achieve it. If you’re still reading this, I bet you work hard to achieve your goals.

Another thing we get when we work hard to achieve our goals is experience. Over time, through trial and error, we learn what works for us — and what doesn’t.

Sometimes, if we’re willing to test new things and learn new techniques, we find that the things that didn’t work for us in the past do work for us, now.

Why?

Because we have learned more and we’ve found better ways to apply the tools and methods to our business.

I spent years looking for the best tools to help me build my online marketing business.

I’ve been building websites and blogs since shortly after the invention of the World Wide Web, before there was an Internet Explorer, or FireFox, or Google, or lots of the other things we use every day and sometimes take for granted.

Over all those years, I have tested and re-tested lots of ways to build websites and to market more effectively. A lot of systems have come and gone. A lot have proven that they did not have the stamina to continue. A lot of them were a big flash in the pan — they made a racket and got our attention, but went away just as quickly.

However, a few have grown and gotten better. You can see some of them in the right column of this blog. Some of these tools I have been using for years and plan to continue using them for many more years. Slowly, but surely, I’m devising and building marketing systems that use those tools. I depend upon them.

Along the way, I have re-discovered some things I learned many years ago. Once I got past all the technology, the bells and whistles, the shiny new paint, and all the fireworks, I realized that the basics of buying and selling have not changed.

The procedures, venues, media, and tools have evolved, but basic business really hasn’t changed as much as we like to think it has. The products and services we sell have changed, but people haven’t changed all that much.

If anything, the willingness to buy something on credit has made it easier to sell to them.

I’m still one of those old curmudgeons who actually saves up to buy something and pays for it with cash. I don’t use credit cards (but I do appreciate the convenience of debit cards). I have no debt. I would take out a loan for a house or car or possibly for some business tools, but I’d much rather sell more, earn a profit, and pay cash.

I’m a hard sell. I think long and hard before buying anything. I’m not influenced by celebrities.

(That’s not entirely true. To me, Steve Jobs was a celebrity, and I have bought many things he and Apple have produced over the years, but every single one of them earned a profit for me. They were investments in quality tools.)

But, the great majority of people live in a world where debt does not carry a stigma and is not something to be avoided. Perhaps you are one of those people. Whether YOU are, or not, isn’t the important thing. Most of your customers are.

So, if you can get your message to your target market — past all the noise and confusion — you can sell what you offer. It’s a matter of matching the right product to the right person and presenting it in ways that make them want to buy it.

Once you learn good ways to do that, your business will grow.

Am I saying that I have all these answers? Certainly not.

However, now that I’ve gotten past my search for tools, I’m researching and applying methods created and tested by past and current marketing masters.

So, not only will I recommend the tools you need for marketing your business, I’ll be recommending the people and methods that have worked for others.

I do not recommend everyone who offers to give me money to tell you about them. I don’t even recommend most of them. I do recommend a few, but only if I know for sure that what they are selling actually works — if you take the time and do the work to implement their methods.

There are challenges in running a business.

Success is not a nice straight always climbing line. There are ups, downs, blind alleys, bad choices, broken promises, unexpected obstacles, and more things and people that slow our advance towards achieving the success for which we strive.

Sometimes, they beat us — temporarily.

As long as we don’t quit, we can usually find a way over, around, under, or through most of these problems.

Now and then, we get smacked down and it takes all the effort we can muster to get back up and take the next step on our chosen path. As long as we get back up and take one more step, we’re not defeated.

Sometimes we choose badly and have to face a decision at some point that we’re sidetracked and not getting any closer to our major goals in life. So, we change. We stop what we’re doing, re-orient ourselves, get back on track, and move forward.

It takes a commitment.

One of the surest ways to fail in building a business is “giving it a try.” That’s exactly the wrong approach. That’s starting with a built in excuse for failure.

If that’s how you’re going to build a business, don’t bother.

Now, it’s true that you may have unexpected luck and do really well. It happens, but it is not something that I’d depend upon.

It’s true that I might win the lottery one day, but I’m not going to base my financial future on that happening. If it does, great! If not, no problem.

A lot of people think that building an online business is like winning the lottery. It’s not. There is no magic in an online business. It’s just a different way to get your sales pitches out to people who are looking for what you offer. Sometimes, it’s a great way to do that. Other times, not so much.

It depends upon what you’re selling and to whom you are directing your offer. In many cases, you may do better by promoting your offer offline.

But, I like working on the Internet, so I look for ways to build revenue streams that I can promote online to people just like you. And the beauty of this approach is that I like recommending things you can use in your business that make more profits for you, too.

As Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

You already own a business. You know the work and commitment that it takes to succeed and to persevere. You know it’s a long haul and not a short sprint.

What you may not know, is that there are many ways to promote your business and some of them are much better than others.

One thing that all of the best tools require is up-front work. You have to be willing to learn how to use that tool, apply it to your particular business, and adapt it to work for you, your offers, and your customers and clients.

Specific focus on your goals, the people whom you want to reach, and the products and/or services you’ll sell are required.

There are many different types of people.

The great majority of them are NOT in your target market. Most of them have no interest in you and what you offer.

I know that’s true for the tools I offer.

Building a great marketing system is not nearly as fun as watching a movie or reading a novel, for the great majority of people.

However, for some of us — a small minority — maybe you — it’s what we love doing.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you own. There are lots of ways to reach out to those people who want to buy what you offer. The better you build your system and the more tightly you focus it on your target market, the more prospects and customers you’ll reach.

If I were a good little Internet marketer, at this point, I’d tell you that I will give you a free book, ebook, video, or CD if you give me your name, email address, and permission to contact you.

That’s what Dan Kennedy calls baiting the trap. The free offer is the bait to get you to trade your contact information, so that I can then contact you regularly with offers that I think you will want to buy. Dan is a master of that strategy and I really do recommend paying attention to what he says — and how he and his partner, Bill Glazer, implement those techniques.

I’m going to smack my little paw right now, because I don’t have that system built for the new direction I’m taking my marketing business. I will get it done, but not yet.

So, what do I want you to do, right now?

Ideally, I want you to buy something! The sooner, the better. (grin)

But — and this is a big but — only if it is something that you will really use to increase your profit from marketing your business. If it won’t help you make money, don’t buy it.

If you decide not to purchase something, right now, then I’d like for us to stay in touch.

So, all I can ask you to do is to subscribe to my RSS feed or to subscribe to the mailing list or like my page on Facebook. The links are towards the top of the right column.

I’m asking you to do one or all of those things.

I welcome your comments.

I enjoy discussions with real people. If you are a first-time commenter, please see my Comments Policy.

In order to succeed with your business, you have to market it effectively.

I have a friend who is a master violin maker, talented musician, and experienced business owner. About 12 years ago, he gave me some good advice that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I was telling him that I’d been hand-forging and selling my Steel Roses That Never Wilt over the Internet to people all over North America. (I no longer do that.)

He said that was the difference between being an artist and a professional artist. I don’t remember the exact quote, but he said something to the effect of: Anyone can learn to make stuff, but you’ll never have a business until you learn to sell it. Every business, no matter the product, is a marketing business.

He’s right.

I hope you have great success with your business.

Act on your dream!

JD

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Dan Kennedy GameChanger DNA – Last Day

October 1, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Dan Kennedy, Marketing, Success and Failure 

As I said yesterday, I am doing something I almost never do. In this post, I am promoting something that I have not bought, studied, used, and tested for myself prior to recommending it to you.

There is a simple reason. I know Dan’s reputation for quality and his ability to teach effective marketing techniques that have worked for thousands of people. So, although I have not seen this particular product of his, I have studied other books he has written over the years, and GameChanger DNA is a collection of what he has learned about marketing over the last nearly four decades — all presented in one place. It’s not everything he knows, but it should be enough to change your marketing game, if you study it and implement what you learn.

If you know in your heart that you won’t spend the time to learn and use the valuable knowledge in this product — Do Not Buy It!

To be perfectly frank, it’s not worth an affiliate commission if I have to listen to you bellyache and whine about it being a waste of money.

First, it can’t be a waste of money, because you have a 30-day money back guarantee. If you buy it and don’t like it, follow the refund procedures and get your money back.

If you learn from it, implement it, and reap the rewards, I’d love for you to come back here and tell us about your experience.

It’s time for you to decide.

Would you like an easy to use, step-by-step, take-you-by-the-hand, done-for-you, proven system that will change your game immediately?

Dan’s closing the cart for his GameChanger DNA tonight at 12 MIDNIGHT CST, on Saturday October 1st.

Simply click the Add to Cart Button on the following page to get access…

Screen from Dan Kennedy video

Click on my GameChanger DNA link or on the image above to see for yourself!

But there is more, much more than just the cart closing. Your chances of becoming a Game Changer are slipping away.

This science of influential communication has been of more value to professional marketers than a thousand techniques or gadgets or gimmicks. Now it can be yours for a small investment, fully guaranteed.

If you haven’t made a decision yet I urge you to finalize your plans, weigh the pros and cons, and make your commitment to achieve.

Go now, and see for yourself.

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. As I said yesterday, Dan’s GameChanger DNA offer is not for everyone. It’s for business owners — and people who intend to own a business — who realize that effective marketing is the most important pathway to success, and who are willing to invest in themselves by studying and then implementing what you learn. Only with a steady stream of paying customers, will your business thrive.

If you do nothing else, get a copy of his Outrageous Advertising book. How much does it cost? If you go now, you can get a copy of Outrageous Advertising for free, and you’ll have to pay for shipping only.

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