Sitesell $50,000 challenge ends tonight at midnight

November 8, 2011 by John Dilbeck · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business, Sitesell and Site Build It 

As I’ve said previously, I’ve spent years looking for a system that would help me build an online business.

I’ve tried lots of different things.

Now, I’ve proven to myself that Sitesell’s SBI offers the best mix of tools, support, proven success, and best price.

I’ve stopped looking at other solutions and my future work will be done on the SBI foundation.

The Sitesell $50,000 challenge ends tonight at midnight and there have been no entries from any other system that could challenge SBI. There is still almost five hours before the deadline, but I don’t expect a challenger to come forth.

SBI continues to make improvements in all the tools they offer and another big improvement should be released before the year is over. Their new blockbuilder sitebuilding tool is ten years old and some describe it as clunky. Compared to Weebly and WordPress, and others, that’s true. But, it has helped thousands of non-technical people build successful online businesses for about a decade.

Sitesell just finished the alpha testing of the new Block Builder 2 (BB2) module, which will introduce a giant leap forward in designing sites and building pages in SBI. Beta testing should start within the week and the release roll-out should happen in December.

It has taken a long time to get to this point and Sitesell has invested millions of dollars in the development of this new version of the blockbuilder module. One reason for the cost and time is that it has to be fully integrated with the other 70 or 80 tools modules that make up the SBI system. (I don’t know how many there are, currently, because Sitesell keeps adding new modules and updating existing ones — all without raising the price!)

I’ve applied as a beta tester and hope I’ll be approved, so I can start testing it. I’m really looking forward to this.

When BB2 is released, it should remove the “clunky” label from anyone’s perception of using the block builder to build effective pages. I’ve seen a video of it and I’ve talked to some alpha testers and I think this will be a game changer. One of the urban myths about SBI that has some truth, about building pages with SBI, will no longer be valid — and it really hasn’t been true for the last several years, since SBI introduced the Upload Your Own HTML (UYOH) module that let people design sites with the design software of their choosing and upload pages using those designs. BB2 will work similarly to Weebly and WordPress for designing the sites and building the pages.

I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

In the meantime, if you know of a better system that can prove success better than SBI and costs the same or less, you still have over four hours to submit it and try to win the challenge. Be sure to read the official rules in the first comment of the challenge thread on Facebook.

By the way, a few weeks ago, we celebrated 40,000 fans for Sitesell’s Facebook Page, and now there are over 46,000. We’ll be reaching and celebrating the 50,000 fans milestone before much longer.

Will there be a challenger?

I don’t think so. As far as I have been able to determine, there is no other system that offers what SBI does for the same or less price and also offers proof of the success that people have achieved with it.

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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Can you succeed online?

September 6, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 10 Comments
Filed under: Act On Your Dream!, Affiliate Marketing, Business, Sitesell and Site Build It, Success and Failure 

I think that is a question that lots of people ask themselves, every day.

Can I succeed online?

I’m not going to lie to you. I truly do not believe everyone can succeed with an online business.

That’s probably not what you were expecting to hear.

You probably expected me to tell you breathlessly that you can succeed beyond your wildest imagination and that money will gush into your bank account if you only buy the world changing secret that only I know.

Right.

Well, I’ll tell you right now. That’s a bunch of crap.

The real world does not work like that.

Only hucksters, shysters, scammers, and crooks pretend to know the one thing you must know to build a successful online business (or make a few extra bucks every month), and insist that you have to buy it RIGHT NOW or it’s going to disappear.

Nonsense.

Code Red! General Quarters!

When you go to a long form sales page with a gazillion bonuses and all the rest you’ll see, you should declare “Code Red” and turn your BS deflector shields to maximum. Divert energy from the warp engines, if you need to, but raise those shields.

I won’t say that all those pages are scams, but I will say that a large percentage of them just are not worth the time it takes to read it.

At least, for most people.

Deadlines? We don’t need no stinkin’ deadlines!

Also, look at how much they’re stressing a deadline. That is used to intentionally build a feeling of scarcity to get you to buy now. It may be true, or it may not be true.

Lots of times that deadline is programmed in PHP or javascript to have today’s date or just a few days from today. It’s not real, and it should send a signal about how real the rest of their offer may be. (You can prove this to yourself by noting the deadline on the offer you’re considering. Bookmark the page. Go back a few days later and see if the deadline has changed.)

Good business deals don’t need fake deadlines

While there are some real deadlines in business, most of the time a good deal today is just as much of a good deal later. Sometimes the deal gets better over time.

Will it work for real people, or just for technogeeks?

Some of those offers do have good information that can help you sell something online, but most of the average people won’t be able to make it work the way the technical geeks and marketing nerds portray it. (I’m a geek and a nerd, so I can say that. I’m talking about my herd.)

Let’s face it. Most people don’t even know what a browser is and can’t name more than two of them.

Most people don’t know what a CMS or plug-in is.

Technogeeks live and breathe that stuff. Real people don’t.

If you do, then you’re ahead of the curve and you should feel good about learning what you know.

The problem arises that you probably have learned some things that aren’t effective and don’t produce as well as they are claimed. Some are just busy-work. Some try to trick the search engines. Some are unethical. Some are illegal.

Some actually do work.

How can you tell the difference?

Don’t look at the number of hits, or visitors, or page views. Look at your profit and loss statement. Real businesses produce a profit.

What do you know about the company and the people behind the offer?

If I am going to buy anything that costs more than about $20 or so, I think about it and consider my options. I’m not saying I’m cheap. I spend several hundred dollars every month on website hosting, domain names, mailing list services, card mailing services, and other things I need, but I don’t spend the money unless it helps me generate a profit.

(The last two years are a notable exception. I operated at a loss while I was too sick to work, but now I’m focused on profit, again.)

If I’m going to invest any real money in buying something, I want to know who produced it, where they are located, and at least a couple of ways to contact them, before I pull out my card.

Try learning who the owner of the business is. What’s the address of their home office? Do they have a phone number and physical address? Can you contact them? Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions? How long have they been in business? What do people say about them? Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

Are they real, reliable, ethical, knowledgeable, and honest?

If you can’t verify that for the people who own what you want to buy, how can you verify — in advance — that you’re making a good choice in investing your time and money in it.

I’m going to address some of those questions and I’m going to give you my best recommendation for how you can learn how to build a real, ongoing business online.

Can you succeed online?

No, it’s not easy. No, you won’t get rich in a few weeks. No, you won’t earn more money than your wildest dreams of avarice.

Yes, it is possible to succeed with a work at home, online business.

Are you willing to really read, study, practice, and implement what you learn?

Are you a good writer? Do you spell well and have a good grasp of grammar, sentence structure, and the norms of communications?

Do you have a topic in which you are passionately interested?

If so, then you have a better than average chance to be successful with your online business.

Are you willing to invest a few hundred dollars, a few hundred hours over a couple of years, and a lot of head-scratching, and serious thinking?

Then, you may be one of the few people I’m trying to reach.

I’m going to let you in on my secret, although it’s no secret at all.

First, who the heck am I?

I’m John Dilbeck. That’s my photo up there at the top of the page. It was taken last summer when I spent a day on Lake Hiwassee with my family. The lake is located just to the north of Murphy, NC. I live a few miles from there. If you search for my name, you’ll find me on my own sites and blogs, on social media, and in forums.

I’ve been a full-time affiliate marketer and webmaster for about 15 years and I earned the great majority of my income for most of that time from my online business.

I’ve been around and I’ve paid my dues.

I have been building blogs with WordPress since the early days, before there were plug-ins and widgets and the code had to be modified by changing the PHP scripts. Automatic updating didn’t exist back then.

I’ve been blogging since before that was what it was called.

I’ve been building websites for almost 20 years.

I’ve built forums, communities, an article directory, and other similar online presences. I’ve tested a number of content management systems. I program fluently in PHP and PERL. I’ve been a systems administrator for an ISP. I’ve been a computer consultant since the late 1970s. I taught computer programming and using computer applications at two colleges.

I have owned several of my own companies over the last 30+ years. I was not a raging financial success, but I paid my way and haven’t gone hungry. Learning and achieving have always been more important to me than getting wealthy. I’m not one to dream about getting rich or winning the lottery, and I don’t mind months of work to achieve something.

The journey is the reward. That’s how I see it.

I am not some Johnny-come-lately who is going to try to baffle you with BS about something I know nothing about.

Those are my bona fides.

Why do you promote SBI instead of WordPress? This blog is powered by WordPress!

I maintain this blog mainly to prove that I have a good working knowledge of blogging and WordPress. Plus, I enjoy blogging and discussions with people who leave good comments.

So, let’s get back to the subject…

Can you succeed online?


If you want to learn more, go to Sitesell’s page that introduces the C-T-P-M process. It will open in another window. I’ll wait right here.

Welcome back!

(if you left to look at the other site)

Now, do you remember those questions I asked at the top of this article? Here’s a reminder…

Try learning who the owner of the business is. What’s the address of their home office? Do they have a phone number and physical address? Can you contact them? Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions? How long have they been in business? What do people say about them? Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

Let’s address these questions one at a time:

Try learning who the owner of the business is.

I know it’s not a question. It’s more of a challenge.

Sitesell is incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Dr. Ken Evoy. You’ll learn more about the management of the company on that page, too.

Ken is the author of one of the first, best-selling ebooks about marketing on the Internet and he overdelivered and underpriced back then, the same way he continues to do.

The book sold for less than $20 when it was introduced.

It was revised in 2002 and the new edition was sold for $29.95.

Unlike many ebooks, this was 1,500 pages of outstanding information. Even though a lot of things have changed since 2002, I still keep a copy of that book on my desktop and refer to it at least once a week. The business information and advice is timeless, even though some of the recommended sites and technical advice is out-dated.

If you want, you can download the ebook for free and you don’t even have to give your email address. Just go get it, if you want it: Make Your Site Sell!

I knew how to build websites before I ever saw that book.

What I didn’t know how to do, was to make my sites sell. That’s what I learned from the book.

I used what I learned in that book to rebuild several websites and sold physical products and services online, as well as earning income through affiliate marketing commissions and Google Adsense commissions.

Make Your Site Sell! was what helped me change from a technogeek to a successful marketing nerd.

So, now, you know who founded and manages Sitesell, Inc.

What’s the address of their home office?

Here ya go. It’s on the bottom right of their LinkedIn Business Profile page.

Their LinkedIn profile also has information about some of their employees.

Do they have a phone number and physical address?

Their physical address is on their LinkedIn profile. Their phone number and email contact form is on the Questions page.

Can you contact them?

You can call or email them. The information is on the previously listed Questions page. The phone number is toll-free in North America, and they have an alternate number you can call if you are located outside of North America.

Do they reply with any answers that actually address your questions?

Test them and see. It’s free. If you have a legitimate question about building your own online business using SBI, they will do their best to answer it. SBI can help most people be successful online, but it won’t do everything and it isn’t for everyone. You can get a straight answer. No obligation.

How long have they been in business?

Sitesell, Inc. was founded in 1997. The company is still headquartered in Canada. Ken has moved to Anguilla to escape those Canadian winters.

What do people say about them?

Except for a well-known Google bomb that was concocted a few years ago around the fake “Is Sitesell a Scam” review, comments are overwhelmingly positive about Ken Evoy, Sitesell, and SBI.

You can also see for yourself on Sitesell’s Facebook page.

If you go there, you can see that over 35,000 people like the page and there are active discussions ongoing. Notice how friendly and helpful those discussions are.

Can you talk to their customers? Will they answer questions in public?

There are thousands of Sitesell customers participating on their Facebook page, and I think most of us are happy to answer questions in public. I’ll respond to your questions here in the comments or on the Sitesell Facebook page — if I see it.

There. I think that shows that Sitesell is an established, above-board company.

What does the media say about Sitesell, SBI, and some of their customers?

Sitesell, Inc. has a Media page that includes reports from newspapers, TV shows, and other websites.

SBI is taught in colleges around the world

I think it says a lot about the credibility of Sitesell and SBI when you learn that the SBI method and tools are taught in colleges and universities around the world.

I am a satisfied customer and affiliate

I am extremely happy that I became a Sitesell customer back in the 20th century and I continue to use their tools in the 21st century.

SBI grows and expands as needed to keep up with what is really important for helping customers generate more income. The SBI system I subscribed to after its original release was not nearly as powerful nor as well documented as what I subscribe to, today. Yet, the cost is the same: $300 per year per site.

Quality and power continues to grow and the price stays the same. I like that.

I have two SBI-powered websites, but they have been largely neglected for the last two years while I fought a battle with cancer that almost killed me last year. Now, I’m on the mend and recovering nicely.

I’ve been doing a lot of strategizing and planning for how I’m going to expand and improve my two SBI sites and you’ll see a lot going on there in just a few more weeks. These two sites will be my primary focus over the next two years and will provide much more income for me than all my other sites and blogs combined. That’s why I promote Sitesell.

And both of my sites are about subjects in which I’m really interested and which I knew, going in, would not be the best choices for earning a large income. I’m doing it for the passion and I’m in a stage of my life where money is not even close to being my main motivator. Still, I don’t mind earning more.

Can you be successful?

If you have basic word skills and can write clearly, and you’re willing to learn a proven process and use a set of tools that work, yes, you can.

And I truly believe that you will substantially increase your odds of success if you build a firm foundation of knowledge and couple it with great tools and support, all offered at one low annual cost. You will NOT be bombarded with a constant stream of upsells, cross sells, and what you may have grown accustomed to, elsewhere.

You will not be surrounded by sharks in the members-only forums. You’ll find people who are willing to share what they’ve learned with you. Affiliate links and promotions are prohibited in the forums.

How much will I earn?

I can’t tell you how much you’d earn, and it would be illegal if I did.

I know many people who use SBI to earn a few hundred dollars of additional income each month, and I know quite a few who earn substantial full-time incomes.

Success often depends upon your own definition of the word.

I am not saying that SBI is the only way to succeed online.

Let me reiterate. I am NOT saying that.

I believe that there are many ways to build a successful online business, but the great majority of them require sophisticated technical skills and knowledge.

I know about that first-hand. I’ve been programming computers for over 40 years and I’ve been building websites since shortly after the World Wide Web was invented. I’ve been selling products and services on the web since shortly after it became legal to conduct commercial operations on the Internet.

I know a lot of ways to build a website and I know how to do a lot of things that I can’t do in SBI. I also know that the great majority of people who want to build an online business don’t know all those things nor do they have that level of experience.

I’m betting you aren’t a technical expert.

But, I’m also betting that you have specific knowledge about something and that you may be surprised that you can earn money while exploring what interests you, legally, ethically, and with class.

You don’t have to become a scuzzy old marketer who takes advantage of people.

Instead, you can learn how to present information to people when they’re looking to solve a problem or buy something they want. And, you can earn a commission from doing that.

Want to learn more? Give SBI a try. There’s a no-questions-asked, 90-day, unconditional, money-back guarantee. All you can lose is a little time and effort, if it isn’t for you. And, you’ll learn more than you know now about building an online business that generates a profit.

What can you gain?

You can gain a lot of valuable business and technical knowledge that has value in the 21st century. You can build a business that provides another source of income. You can find something interesting and useful to do if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad, or if you’re retired and are looking for something to do with your time.

You can give a gift of real value to your child so that he or she will learn something that can be very useful in a career.

In a couple of years, or so, you can write me and tell me that you’re happy you subscribed to SBI and let me know how happy you are with your business. You won’t be the first who has thanked me for telling them about SBI and you won’t be the last.

It is interesting to me that I’ve referred a lot of people to a variety of business-related tools and information, yet I’ve never received a single thank-you from anyone other than people who subscribed to SBI. I haven’t received many, but there were a few and I should have kept them for reference, but I didn’t.

Most of the people I have introduced to SBI continue to renew their subscription, year after year. Why? Because it’s working for them.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll succeed, but I can guarantee that you won’t lose any money by trying SBI. Not a penny. Subscribe, follow the action guide, take it slow, do each action step methodically, and you’ll learn more about online business than you can imagine right now.

If you decide it isn’t for you, just contact support within the first 90 days and they’ll refund 100% of whatever you’ve paid. If you paid for an annual subscription, you will get 100% refunded within 90 days, and a prorated amount if you choose to ask for a refund after 90 days.

Downside risk? No money to lose, but you’ll have to invest some time and energy to test it.

Upside potential? More knowledge about online marketing and building a website. More technical skills — if you want them. A good opportunity to increase your income.

You may even change your life. Some have.

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. My two SBI sites are Act On Your Dream! and Murphy Gold. Watch as they grow in the coming months.

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Is free information really free?

August 2, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 21 Comments
Filed under: Business, Marketing, Sitesell and Site Build It 

Over the last 15 years, I have bought and studied lots of things related to marketing on the Internet. Some of those products purported to help me sell real physical products. Some said they’d teach me how to be a better affiliate marketer. Some taught the “secrets” to “massive results” and “exploding my downline.”

Some were worth the read, a few were worth a month or two of studying and implementing the ideas, and the others were mostly a waste of time, effort, and money — and served as a distraction to pull me off course and proved to be obstacles in my path to reaching my goals.

It is amazing to me how many people read a website or a book or take a “course” and then proclaim that they are an expert or a consultant. I am dismayed sometimes when I see the quality of the information many of them foist off on an unsuspecting public — especially when they are deliberately targeting people who are new to online marketing and who have a sincere desire to learn the ropes and promote quality goods and services.

So many times, they are sucked into a whirlpool of endless introductions and launches and the latest, greatest, must-have-right-now, secrets of the universe. Sigh.

But, that’s just one viewpoint.

There is some outstandingly good free information on the Web that will help you become a successful webmaster and marketer. Without a doubt, some of it is terrifically good.

The trouble is this.

When you don’t know your way around the wild and mostly-untamed Internet, how do you know what is good information and what is going to waste your time, effort, and money.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind wasting a little money here and there. I can recoup those losses in the future.

I absolutely loathe wasting time. Once it is gone, it’s gone forever. I don’t know of any way to recoup lost time.

Life is short enough, as it is.

I’ve subscribed to lots of mailing lists and newsletters. I’ve bought ebooks and courses. I’ve paid my dues and found a few nuggets in the wasteland.

As I’ve said many times, Sitesell and SBI are not for everyone, and they are not the only high-quality products that are available. Ken Evoy is not the only reputable marketer.

There are others. Feel free to go out and find them. You may find someone or a service that fits you better. Seriously. There are many ways to build a successful online business and even more ways to earn some extra income in your spare time.

I’ll never say that isn’t true.

For me, and hundreds of people I know, SBI is the best set of tools and training that is available, at any price. They have thousands of happy customers, most of whom are busily following the action guide and getting more visitors to their sites every month, and watching their income as it climbs.

Some, however, aren’t doing as well as they want to do.

And some, a small minority, don’t like the company or the service, at all.

One thing that is true about Sitesell and SBI, and which is generally not true about others, is the level of transparency and communications we — the customers — get. They talk to us regularly in newsletters, in the subscribers-only forum, and on their Facebook page.

I get a lot of communications from other companies, and some of it is really helpful, but much of it is mainly sales pitches so they can upsell me to other backend products that earn their real profits.

Sitesell isn’t like that. SBI is their primary product. They offer some additional services for people who want specific help in specific parts of their business, but it isn’t required nor are we constantly bombarded with sales pitches. (SBI is mainly for people who want to learn to build an online business ourselves. On the other hand, there are people who already have a business and they don’t have the time or interest in doing it themselves. They want to hire someone who already knows the SBI methodology for building a website that attracts paying customers. Sitesell offers that as a service for those who want someone to do it for them.)

How many ebooks and courses have you downloaded? How much of it has been useful? How much of it has offered conflicting opinions and untested suggestions? How much of it has helped you grow your business? How much has left you confused? How much is sitting on your computer — unread? Who do you listen to? Who do you trust?

Those are a few questions we should all consider periodically in our quest to build our businesses.

Free information may not cost you money — and it may help you make money.

Most free information, including what I’m writing in this blog and on my other sites, has at least two purposes.

1. To be helpful and to share what we’ve learned with you. Thanks for reading!

2. To sell you something and/or to get your contact information so we can sell you something, later.

Yes, it’s true.

I want you to subscribe to SBI.

I have two reasons for wanting you to do that.

1. I honestly believe it is the best value for your money and time, if you sincerely want to build a niche-focused online business that earns real income. (I’m not talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars with no effort. I’m talking about a few hundred dollars a month for part-time effort and maybe a few thousand dollars a month for full-time effort after you’ve spent a few months or years building the site and attracting readers.)

2. I am an affiliate for Sitesell, and I earn a commission if you purchase and don’t cancel your subscription. I put a lot of work into telling you about SBI, and I put a lot of work into building my websites that are powered by SBI. Frankly, I earn more from the websites than I do as a Sitesell affiliate.

Most of the free information you’ll find on the Internet is not free at all. It costs you a lot in terms of distracting you from your goals and in time and effort wasted.

Agree or disagree? I’m listening.

Here’s a quick video on this topic…


I think the free ticket for a test drive is a bit of hyperbole. I don’t know of any such thing.

However, I do know that you can get started for only $30. Try it for a month. Read the action guide. Watch the videos, learn as much as you can — and there is a lot to learn. Visit the forums, read what interests you. Ask questions — or answer some, if you really know what they are.

You will find that there is no pressure for upsells or buying expensive add-ons or any of the things you may have experienced elsewhere.

You’ll find that all the people in the forums are using the same tools and “speaking a common language.” No affiliate links are permitted in the forums. Nobody is there to pitch their products. (Well, it does happen now and then, but they are quickly discovered, fired as customers, and banned from the forums.)

The forums are the friendliest and most helpful I’ve found anywhere, and I’d pay the full price of SBI just to get access to the forum and the brainstorming and keyword research tools. All the rest, in my opinion, is a huge free bonus.

So, have you heard bad things about SBI? Do you think $30 is too much to spend to see for yourself?

What’s the risk?

Invest a month and learn as much as you can. Read the entire action guide and watch the videos. Read the subscriber-only articles and tips. Scan the subscriber-only forums.

If you don’t agree that it is what you want to use to build your e-business, just send a ticket to support and ask for your money back.

You have up to 90 days for a complete 100% refund.

You may find it really isn’t for you. Maybe you need or want to do some things that Sitesell doesn’t offer with SBI. Ask for your money back. No questions asked.

There is no risk in trying it.

On the other hand, there is a risk in not trying it…

Have you just heard opportunity knocking at your door and decided to ignore it?

Remember SBI.

Click the link and bookmark that page. Write it in your journal. Put it on your calendar to look into a few months from now.

If you don’t like what you see, go elsewhere and try other approaches.

When you decide to come back and try it, again, you’ll find that it has gotten better in the interim.

Act on your dream!

JD

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What is SBI? A one minute introduction

July 29, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 15 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Business, Sitesell and Site Build It 

I’m going to try something different today.

Instead of a long post telling you lots of reasons why I like, use, and recommend SBI, I’m going to present this video introduction.

It’s about a minute long and goes pretty quickly, so pay attention…


Whew!

I bet you didn’t have time to read all that, did you?

One of the great things about watching video on the Internet is that we can stop it at any time and select parts of the video to re-watch.

If you missed anything or if you want to read all that it says, watch it again and stop it at any point.

Just wait. When you use SBI and start to understand all it does to help you build a real online business, you’ll find that describing and explaining it is difficult, too.

SBI remains my most important recommendation. Don’t build a website, build an e-business.

Act on your dream!

JD

P.S. I’m both a very happy customer and an affiliate, too.

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Sitesell now has over 25,000 fans on Facebook

July 21, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 12 Comments
Filed under: Facebook, Opinions, Sitesell and Site Build It 

This is going to be a very short post. Really. I can do it.

Last night, we had a celebration on Sitesell’s Facebook page that started around 10:30 pm (EDT) when we passed the 25,000 “likes” milestone. That’s when the party started. It was fun.

Now, they’re running the 72-hour-only, buy one, get one free celebration special. That’s a deal that doesn’t come very often. It’s been awhile since they offered it.

Just go to their page, like it, and then click one of the images at the top of the page to go to the special order page. Only people who have “Liked” the page can get the special offer — it’s for fans, only.

Early this morning, Ken Evoy, the founder of Sitesell (who is on vacation in Scotland) saw that there was a glitch with the special order page. Ken contacted the CEO and they got the right people onto the problem, which was fixed in a few minutes.

I posted this note on the private Sitesell forums this morning:

I enjoyed the 25K celebration last night!

As a bonus, I won a couple of the prizes (each worth a free month of SBI) and I wasn’t expecting that. Thank you, Sitesell, it made the party even more fun.

On a side note, I watched on Facebook this morning when Ken realized the special offer order page wasn’t working as planned. Even on vacation, he got right on it. A few minutes later, Daniel was on the case, too. I don’t know who else was involved, but the glitch was fixed in short order.

I don’t know of any other company where the Founder and the CEO would both get involved in an order page glitch.

They set the standard and the whole Sitesell team rises to their level. That’s one of the reasons we get so many great things and such good support from Sitesell in return for our small subscription fees.

Facebook needs to add a “Love” button on Sitesell’s page. I’d click it.

Act on your dream!

JD

I really mean it. That is an amazing group of people and an outstanding service.

I’m looking forward to working with everyone at Sitesell for years to come.

Now, I gotta go work on my websites.

Act on your dream!

JD

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Sitesell Facebook page approaching 25,000 Likes

July 19, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 6 Comments
Filed under: Facebook, Sitesell and Site Build It, Webhosting 

It’s hard to believe how quickly the number of people who like Sitesell’s Facebook page is growing. 10,000 a few weeks ago, then 20,000, and now they’re less than 350 away from 25,000.

Guess what, it’s going to be a party.

I know what one of the surprises will be. As soon as there are 25,000 fans, there will be a strictly time-limited 72-hour-only Buy One and Get One Free special for SBI.

If you haven’t already, go like their page and keep a lookout for the special offer announcement. It’ll start today or tomorrow, as soon as they reach 25,000 fans.

That’s the best deal they will offer this year, I’m sure.

When you buy one subscription to SBI at $300 per year, you get a second subscription free and have up to 9 months to start the second one. (Each will renew next year at the standard $300/yr.)

If I had more time and energy, I’d take advantage of this offer. I have two more websites planned and I’ll power them with SBI, but it’ll be next year before I can get started. (sigh)

This is a great deal if you and a friend each want to start an SBI site and see what all the fuss is about. Or, buy one for yourself and give one to someone in your family.

As usual, the 90-day money back guarantee applies.

How do you take advantage of this special?

It starts by liking the Sitesell Facebook page.

Then, today or tomorrow, when they get over 25,000 people who Like the page, the special will start. Look for the announcement when it’s posted.

Be sure to follow the directions in that special announcement. Do not just go to the regular SBI order page. Follow the special link from the Sitesell Facebook page.

Three days, only. This special is worth $300 to anyone who takes advantage of it.

Buy one and sell one to a friend. Each of you can get started for only $150 each (one has to buy at $300, but then you can transfer the second site to your friend).

Please, if you take advantage of this, slow down and follow the action guide. The first five “days” are critical to the long-term success of your online business.

Act on your dream!

JD

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SBI urban myths

July 14, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 12 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Amazon, Aweber Autoresponders, Blogging, MailChimp, Sitesell and Site Build It, Webhosting 

Sitesell has been around for over a decade and SBI is getting close to a decade old.

Along the way, a lot has been written about the company (Sitesell), the product (SBI), and the founder (Ken Evoy).

Some of it has been accurate and truthful.

Some of it has been inaccurate and misleading.

Some of it has been a scam to promote something else that doesn’t work.

So, if you’re like most of us, you’ve learned about affiliate marketing and how to approach it from different people here and there and, most likely, you have learned a lot of conflicting information and advice from a lot of different people.

I’ve been there.

Really.

I mean, I’ve really been there.

I’ve read thousands of websites and blogs, have joined and tested hundreds of marketing systems, have bought and read dozens of books and ebooks (really studied them), and have subscribed to hundreds of mailing lists and newsletters.

I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve read one person recommend something as the very best approach, only to have that contradicted by someone else who says it’s the absolute worst approach and doesn’t work.

The truth is, that there are many different approaches to building websites, blogs, and an online presence and what works well for one person may be entirely ineffective for another.

We all have our own personal approaches, preferences, filters, and blinders, and I guarantee that you and I can look at the exact same thing and have different opinions about it. That’s basic human nature.

But, through research and testing, we can try various approaches and find what works best for us. Right?

Or, we can just try the “flavor of the day” approach and never really know what works and what doesn’t. Right?

It’s okay to do something on a whim or as a hobby. We all do them.

It’s a different thing if you want to build a business that can provide for you and your family.

I have a couple of websites that I’ve built just for the fun of it. I like to write about different things and I’d rather do it on my own sites than on a bunch of free sites where my writing is lost in mix of stuff from thousands of others.

So, I really do know, and appreciate, the difference between doing something for the fun of it, versus building a business with the intent to earn a profit.

I’ve tried and tested hundreds of approaches and have settled on a very few that I know work for me. Whether they’ll work for you, I can’t guarantee.

What doesn’t work for me?

MLMs and Network Marketing. I’ve spent thousands of dollars and hours trying to build a team and offer support and training in order to leverage their efforts into a profitable business. Huge.waste.of.time — at least for me. Maybe I don’t have the right personality. Maybe I chose the wrong merchants. Maybe I attracted the wrong people. Maybe I just suck at multi-level marketing.

I’ve watched others and some of them seem to be successful. I know a few, personally, who are successful with MLM — very few — count em on my fingers and have fingers left over.

I think, for many people, it can be a way to earn some extra money. For a few, it can be a really good business. For most of us, nope.

I could go on and on with many other examples.

Build a hundred sites and earn a buck a day from each of them. Nope. Doesn’t work. Lot’s of effort for no return.

Downline builders and traffic exchanges. I had some good results with some of them. But, I got tired of the whole “work at home” and “make money online” niche. For me, semi-successful. Don’t like the feeling of running on a treadmill to nowhere.

Yes, SBI is a system that’s designed to help folks make money by building an online business, but the focus is definitely not on the get rich quick schemes that are so prevalent in the “work at home” niche.

Over the years, I’ve heard lots of things about SBI and Ken Evoy that just aren’t true. Some of them are even malicious.

Yes, we can all have different opinions, but I just don’t see a reason to lie about something.

When I want to know about something, I want to know as much as I can learn about it. I buy the product or service. I read all the instructions and participate in the forums. I write support to see how they solve problems. I follow the steps and do my best to make it work. I join the affiliate program (if it has one) and try it out. In short, I do all I can think of to see if this is something for me, or not.

Many things, even those that look attractive, just don’t work. Maybe they once did. Maybe they never did.

A few things that I’ve tested really do work. And they work for lots of different people in a lot of different industries and niches. Those are the gems that make it worth sifting through all the duds.

SBI is one of the gems.

Mailing list services like Aweber and MailChimp are gems. I’ve used Aweber successfully in the past and intend to use both services effectively in the future.

Last week, I identified a new gem that is going to help me with SMS text message marketing to opt-in lists. EzTexting looks like a very good system and has passed my initial tests with flying colors. So, now it’s time to invest some money in it and put it to work in a real-world environment.

(Update: March 1, 2012. I am no longer promoting EzTexting as an affiliate, but I’ll probably remain one of their customers.)

Other gems include WordPress and Hostgator for my traditional websites. I’ve used the combination of a WordPress blog on a domain hosted by HostGator for years. That’s how this blog works.

But, I’m moving away from that particular combination. I’m also moving away from Hostgator and that style of hosting using cPanel and all the other traditional Linux/Unix hosting. I want to concentrate less on tech stuff and more on business and marketing.

For my small websites and simple blogs, I’ve started using Weebly. I have several sites that I’m transitioning to their service and my Dilbeck Marketing site/blog will be hosted there.

I’ve been testing Weebly for the better part of a year (mostly with one of my client’s sites) and I am very happy with their service. I like how they combine a tier-structured website with blogging and e-commerce features. I also like that they automatically serve a site using mobile formatting when it is appropriate. I’ve tested it with feature cell phones, smartphones, iPods, and other similar mobile devices and it works very well — and I didn’t have to do anything extra.

So, I test a number of different approaches, including many I haven’t mentioned. I’ve been doing this for a long time.

I won’t say bad things about the ones that don’t work for me. I generally don’t mention those companies, systems, or individuals. I believe this, “if you can’t say something good about someone, keep your big trap shut.”

My approach is to identify the gems and then discuss why they are gems.

Others, however, take a different approach, and that brings me back to my original topic: SBI urban myths.

(About time, JD!)

Yes, I tend to write long posts and go in multiple directions. If you can hang on, it can be a fun ride. (grin)

Some people write about Sitesell, SBI, and Ken Evoy and give a totally different view from what I’ve observed over the last decade+.

If I had to name one person that had the most to do with my online marketing success, it would be Ken Evoy. He has never lied nor mislead me in over 10 years. He has never tried to sell me something I don’t need just so he can make a profit. He has never given me bad advice. I like and trust him.

Ken Evoy was already successful before he founded Sitesell and wrote his first ebook, Make Your Site Sell!

He was an emergency physician. Later he became a very successful developer of toys. He developed a product for a very narrow niche that was successful. From that experience, he wrote MYSS to help others learn how to build websites and make profits.

That’s how I got my start in online marketing. I am forever grateful that I bought that book and met Ken (online). One of these days, I hope to meet him in person and shake his hand.

He learned from the experience of writing that book and helping the people who bought it, that there is a minority of people who really want to succeed in an online business, but most of us don’t have all the skills to make it work. So, he started developing Site Build It! which is now generally known as SBI.

I don’t remember exactly when I first subscribed to SBI to start building my Act On Your Dream! site. I started that site because it involves something that is important to me. I truly believe that anyone who is willing to set a goal and work to achieve it can become a very different person in as little as a year from now. It may happen sooner, or it may take longer, depending upon the goal, but I have seen many people do just that.

Act On Your Dream! is more of a philosophy and hobby than a part of my business. I’ve worked on it here and there and it’s been earning a profit for years, month in and month out, with very little attention from me.

Now that I’m no longer caring for Mom and I’ve kicked cancer’s butt, I’ll be putting more attention and effort into that site. I have a lot I want to add to it.

People ask me why I spend $300 per year on that site when I can host it free on my HostGator account (I have a reseller account). That’s simple. It earns a profit every year and I have never had one single technical issue with it. Not once. I can’t say that for any of the sites I have hosted by HostGator, and I know they are a quality service.

Act On Your Dream! just works. Now and then I add to it, but mostly I just ignore it for weeks or months at a time.

It used to be even more successful when I advertised products sold through the Amazon.com affiliate program. But (you’ve probably heard this already) all the Amazon affiliates in North Carolina (including me) were dropped when our politicians passed the ill-advised nexus tax law in 2009.

The important point is that I earn a profit from that site. It’s not an expense, it’s a reliable, sustainable profit center even though there is much I can do to expand and increase that profit.

I earn more from that site in a year than I have from all my blogs (except this one) and all my forums ever did. And I’m not even really trying.

My other SBI-powered site, Murphy Gold, will be my primary revenue producer and focus for the coming years. Even in it’s present form (just a tiny part of what it will be), it has been profitable from the very first month I started it and that was back when I was so sick I could barely do anything. Now that I’m feeling better, it’s going to start shining!

This month, I’ll send out invoices to my clients on Murphy Gold and will earn more than I will from all my other sites combined for an entire year. I don’t give out my income figures to anyone but the IRS, but I’m talking a few thousand dollars — and that’s just the start.

In the process, I’m helping real people in the real world. It’s going to be even more exciting as it picks up speed.

That is the central hub of the biggest project I’m working on in my marketing business. I’ll be earning a full-time income from that site within another year.

Am I unhappy that I have to pay $300 per year for a site that earns many multiples of that investment? Not a bit.

The best part is that Sitesell continues to add new and better features to SBI that I can use in my sites and they haven’t raised the price in years. SBI is a much better deal now than it was when I first subscribed.

I can’t say that about any other business that I’ve worked with in my online marketing career. None of them.

Am I a raving fan of SBI? You bet I am.

Am I tired of all the misinformation about Sitesell and SBI. You bet I am.

That’s why I write about them now and then on this blog.

I know it looks like that’s all I write about, and that’s true for the last year or so while I was so sick, but it won’t be true over the coming months. I’ve joined and am in the process of learning and testing a variety of other affiliate programs that I’ll tell you more about as soon as I know more facts.

Hey, JD!

What?

You said you were going to talk about SBI urban myths.

Yes I did. And I’ve been addressing several of them already. Here’s the link to more information about some of the SBI! Urban Myths as presented by Sitesell.

I’m going to stop here. I have a lot more I could say, but I’ll leave it for another day and maybe another site.

So, what do you think? Questions? Comments?

I always enjoy hearing from you.

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. You do realize that this is about affiliate marketing, too, don’t you? I am an affiliate for Sitesell and I believe they have the best affiliate program on the planet. I haven’t tested all of them, of course, but of the several hundred I have tested, Sitesell’s 5 Pillar Affiliate Program is the best. I’m not surprised. They are very good at what they do.

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Here are a few of Sitesell’s Facebook fans

July 11, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 9 Comments
Filed under: Sitesell and Site Build It 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Sitesell getting 20,000 “Likes” on their Facebook page.

Here’s a short video showing some of those fans:


By the way, they now have over 22,500 people who like Sitesell.

There are many reasons for this growth, but I believe it all boils down to providing a very high quality service for a low price. Yes, I consider $300 a year for all they offer to be a very low price.

Now that I’m stronger and starting to feel like working again, I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and strategizing on how I’ll be expanding my Murphy Gold site this year. I’m looking forward to really working on it, again.

Cancer: sucks. Kicking cancer’s butt: rocks. Being able to live where I want and do what I love: priceless.

Act on your dream!

JD

PS. I know I’m sounding like a broken record lately, but I am happy to share the news about a company, it’s people, and a superlative product that is helping thousands of people around the world build businesses that produce real income. This is not another of those “chase your own tail on a never-ending treadmill” schemes that are so prevalent in the get rich quick world. This is the real deal and it works for people who want to build a real business.

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SBI Success Story – Elad buys a home

June 6, 2011 by John Dilbeck · 6 Comments
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Sitesell and Site Build It 

This is going to be one of the shortest blog posts I’ve ever written. There’s no need for me to say very much.

Elad Shippony and his sister started a coolest kids birthday party website using the tools included with an SBI subscription.

Over the years, he shared his story in the case studies section of Sitesell’s website. About a month ago, exactly eight years since he resigned from his full-time job, he, his wife, and their children moved into a new home: Elad buys a home

You can read the other updates to his story by clicking the links you’ll find on the bottom of that page.

Real people, building real businesses by marketing on the Internet. That’s my dream and my goal.

Want to read more? There are several case studies telling the stories of real people succeeding with their online business.

Act on your dream!

JD

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