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#96209 - 11/25/06 02:29 PM
Re: Can you make REAL Money online
[Re: Anno]
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Member
Registered: 03/06/06
Posts: 2529
Loc: Southern California
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Oh, man, that's a tough one. Anything that sounds too easy and too good to be true most likely is. There are many "make money" programs, but they're just having you sign more people up for your program and I won't do that kind of thing to someone else.
His best bet is to take what he knows and put it to use. What kinds of jobs has he had? What's his experience? Is he looking to consult/offer services or sell products?
If he wants to sell products, there are so many things to consider. Where will you get them, do you have the $$ to invest, how many other people are selling them online and what are their prices and shipping costs?
The best thing to sell, in my opinion, is something that's not readily available in stores and with a larger markup. My wicking sleepwear is still hard to find in stores so I'm doing well with sales, however it doesn't have a huge markup. But you'll also see I'm not selling a bunch of $1.99 items - it's just not worth the hassle of processing an order and shipping it.
There are drop ship companies, but you run the risk of alienating customers if your products are out of stock or get lost. You lose the control of providing top quality service to your customer.
I've heard/read that if you have special knowledge in a subject that you can make money selling a booklet or pamphlet. It MUST have useful information about one particular subject. Then the marketing is easier because you can target just that segment of the population.
For example, if you've been a fireman all your life, you could write a "100 of the best fire station recipes". It might cost less than a dollar to print, then another 50 cents to mail, so you charge $6.99 and clear $4.50 on each sale. Then you market ONLY to firefighters and their relatives. Now this example is pretty low end - just think about how many of these little booklets you'd have to sell - but there are a lot of fire stations in this country.
And my last comment: before you do anything, take a look online at your competition. Search for the terms you would use for your online store and see what's already out there and what they are doing and charging.
Good luck! If you find the magic bullet, please let the rest of us know!
Kathy
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#96210 - 11/25/06 03:13 PM
Re: Can you make REAL Money online
[Re: Dancing Dolphin]
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Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
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Kathy has covered everything I would have added. And what she said about "if it seems to good to be true, or too easy" is dead on. When someone has a scheme for you to sign up others, guess who gets the bulk of the $'s...yep, that's right, the person at the top. It's a pyramid in every sense of the word and the only person making money is the guy/gal at the top.
Now, the advice she gave on informational booklets or "how-to" books is also excellent advice. You could also develop an e-book of his "how to eat an elephant" or whatever the subject and sell it online. What is his expertise? What can he give the public that they need?
There are lots of places that offer free web sites, for starters. I don't recommend the ones with ads all over the place because they are annoying and you have under 6 (I think it's 3?) seconds to capture your audience. This is your calling card. Once you have your web page built, ask yourself this...would YOU take this person seriously? If you have ONE doubt, redo---redo---redo.
Making an ebook is not child's play but with a little bit of a learning curve, he could be on his way.
Whatever he does, please tell him that he gets ONE shot at those customers out there and he needs three things going for him.
1. Honesty 2. Integrity 3. Availabiity - (product support)
If he has these three things, the sales will follow. But if he tries to get rich quick and cut corners, it will come back and bite him in the butt.
And finally, (did I hear a sigh?) I'll repeat what Kathy has already said. Research his area of expertise and see what others are doing. Not only their marketing niches, but their web pages, their look, and their product(s) line. Do they offer the same identical thing he wants to offer? How could he twist or turn his to make it unique? Maybe offer more, or better somehow.
Just more of the same two cents worth. You can't beat Kathy's advice.
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#96214 - 11/25/06 07:34 PM
Re: Can you make REAL Money online
[Re: Anno]
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Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
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Oh girl...dont' even get me started on the Web site thing. I use Michelle Broschel, same person Dotsie uses and she is a delight to work with. Why do I pay? Because I want it professional AND I want someone else to take care of the headaches where I can WRITE!
Here are a few things I would suggest NOT doing:
1. Don't put music on the opening page. There are tons of people who open Web sites AT WORK. They don't want to announce to the world that they are goofing-off...not only that, it's VERY distracting when you're trying to soak up the message there in front of you. Remember, my time (joyce doe the buyer) is limited.
2. Don't put those annoying trailers that follows your mouse everywhere you go on the page. It screams UNPROFESSIONAL!
3. Don't settle for broken links on your site. Make sure all your links work. If I visit a page and the links don't work, I leave. Now if I'm in a good mood and have plenty of time on my hands, I'll try to contact the Webmaster and tell them. If not, I move on. One potential customer lost.
4. DON'T TELL ME (the public) YOU ARE AN AWARD WINNING ANYTHING. If that's true, then everybody on the face of this earth is...Show me the awards you have and THEN make that statement. To me it shouts "don't sign up for their newsletter" because you can take it to the bank that you are about to be hit every day, or every other day with an email trying to sell you something. No info, just a CANNED sales pitch.
5. Don't just sell them something, give them something, too. Give more "value added" than value gained. It doesn't have to be in the form of money. It SHOULDN'T be. But give your potential customers something. A free newsletter, a tips sheet...something for spending time on your Web page.
6. Don't treat your business like a hobby. It will show.
7. If you've had a bad day or sales are down, don't take it out on your email inquiries, even if they come to you as "snippy" ones. Always answer email inquiries with a positive, uplifting tone. It cost you nothing, but it will make YOU feel better, and your potential customer as well.
8. Don't forget to see what your competition is doing on a weekly basis.
9. Get a tracker for your Web page so you can get statistics and see how you're doing. VERY IMPORTANT!
10. Don't try to eat that elephant all in one bite. You will change, your message will change, so let your Web page grow as your needs change. Just because you have a Web page up doesn't mean that's all there is. I can't tell you how many times I've changed mine over the years. Mucho. It's a good thing though. Make sure the "NAME" he chooses for his URL or Web address is one that gets good hits on GOOGLE and the other search engines. What words would people use when looking for a watch to buy? Be creative, but make sure you choose wisely!
Hope this helps some. Oh gosh I'm so excited for him. Wandering off on a new adventure! How cool is that? And watches! I love it. Let us know how he progresses, k?
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#96215 - 11/25/06 08:23 PM
Re: Can you make REAL Money online
[Re: jawjaw]
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Founder
Registered: 07/09/08
Posts: 23647
Loc: Maryland
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Anno, very great advice from Kathy and the queen. Michelle's last name is Jakubiak, not Broschel. You can find her at http://boschelcreative.com/.Something else that has not been mentioned is the fact that once you have a site, people have to be able to find you so site optimization is of most importance. That's something Michelle is very good at. She helped me get this site in the number one spot on all search engines for "baby boomer women." If your hubby is seriously thinking about this, he should contact her and others to get estimates. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when you do that. Another thing to consider is whether or not you should have a data base built for your site too. Members of the NABBW get 20% off Michelle's work. Please ask away if you have other questions.
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