The Success Formula - The Easy Way to Write
The Success Formula - The Easy Way to Write
The Success Formula - The Easy Way to Write
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<strong>The</strong> E-Files.net<br />
Module Six – <strong>Success</strong> <strong>Formula</strong><br />
Rob Parnell
<strong>The</strong> E-Files<br />
© Rob Parnell<br />
All rights reserved. No part of this publication<br />
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form,<br />
graphic, electronic or mechanical without the<br />
express written permission of its author.<br />
Legal Disclaimer: <strong>The</strong> contents of this book<br />
represent the views of the author. No warranty as<br />
<strong>to</strong> the efficacy and appropriateness of the advice<br />
and techniques mentioned or alluded <strong>to</strong> should be<br />
inferred. <strong>The</strong> author hereby disclaims any personal<br />
or professional loss or liability caused or alleged <strong>to</strong><br />
be caused, directly or indirectly, by the use of the<br />
information herein presented.<br />
PO Box 485, Morphett Vale<br />
SA 5162 Australia<br />
2<br />
© Rob Parnell
<strong>The</strong> E-Files - Volume Six<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Success</strong> <strong>Formula</strong><br />
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© Rob Parnell
2 ¼ Hours <strong>to</strong> Online <strong>Success</strong><br />
You know what it’s like. You go online because you have things <strong>to</strong> do. You<br />
don’t have long – you just want <strong>to</strong> open your emails and maybe check out<br />
some moneymaking ideas…<br />
Three hours later you’re still there, clicking aimlessly from one site <strong>to</strong> another.<br />
Your eyes are sore and you don’t really want <strong>to</strong> stand up because you think it<br />
might hurt!<br />
Do you think you’ll do any better when you’re in business?<br />
<strong>The</strong> bad news is that you will have <strong>to</strong>. When the money start coming in, so<br />
does the work. You will need <strong>to</strong> be focused. <strong>The</strong> best way <strong>to</strong> do this is <strong>to</strong> write<br />
down a list of what you must do before you go online – and then stick <strong>to</strong> that<br />
list!<br />
To start you off right, I’ve developed a simple 10-step plan for getting your<br />
website up and making money within 2 ¼ hours of online time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> formula is at the end of this chapter. It might not be the most thorough<br />
strategy you’ll ever come across. It is however, proven.<br />
It is the barest minimum you can do <strong>to</strong> get your website up and running and<br />
making money – quickly – with your own e-book.<br />
<strong>The</strong> formula’s strength lies in its simplicity and in the steps it leaves out. Steps<br />
that other systems would have you believe are essential – but can be as timeconsuming<br />
as they are ineffectual.<br />
My advice is <strong>to</strong> finish reading this module, print off the 10-step guide, do all<br />
the steps in order, and you’ll be getting big checks before you know it!<br />
So – ready <strong>to</strong> set up an entire business empire in 2 ¼ hours? Okay – let’s go!<br />
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<strong>The</strong> Online <strong>Success</strong> <strong>Formula</strong><br />
It’s 10 o’ clock in the morning – say you slept in late – but you want <strong>to</strong> get your<br />
business up and running by lunchtime. Sound impossible? Nah!<br />
Let’s go for it.<br />
Step One: Get a Company Name<br />
Go <strong>to</strong> one of the many websites that now offer “Name Parking” facilities. In<br />
case you didn’t know, this is not the same as a web site host, which we will talk<br />
about in Step Five. However, many web site hosts nowadays do also offer<br />
name parking at competitive rates.<br />
www.NameSecure.com is the oldest and most famous of the registration sites.<br />
Prices are much the same whomever you choose. You can park your company<br />
name for 3 months <strong>to</strong> a year, but most often the cheapest is for 2 years. If<br />
you’re really going <strong>to</strong> make a go of your Internet business, you may as well go<br />
all the way, and give it at least 2 years!<br />
Want a free website with your new dot com? Go <strong>to</strong> www.doteasy.com Say ‘no’<br />
<strong>to</strong> every option they offer and you’ll eventually get <strong>to</strong> their no cost plan.<br />
You do not have <strong>to</strong> be a registered company <strong>to</strong> get a dot com. Com stands for<br />
commercial and, unlike the real world, you don’t have <strong>to</strong> do anything <strong>to</strong> prove<br />
you’re a working company <strong>to</strong> qualify for a dot com. You just have <strong>to</strong> have the<br />
money <strong>to</strong> pay for it – and it must be available.<br />
Company names with country tags are different however. Co.uk and com.au,<br />
for instance, can only be used by trading companies in the UK and Australia<br />
respectively. <strong>The</strong>y’re useful if being local is important <strong>to</strong> your business.<br />
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Dot com, dot org, dot net?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s no pressure on you <strong>to</strong> get a dot com. However, if you go for an “org” or<br />
“net” or any other derivation, there is always the chance someone else will buy<br />
the dot com and undermine your ownership of the name – especially if it’s a<br />
good name and someone else wants a piece of your action.<br />
For now, it’s probably best <strong>to</strong> stick with a dot com and not worry about the<br />
other versions. <strong>The</strong>re are many arguments for and against but if you want <strong>to</strong><br />
start cheap and credible just take the dot com.<br />
This may be more difficult than you think. Many of the best and shortest<br />
names have been taken. This doesn’t mean they are in use, just that they have<br />
been taken by certain individuals <strong>to</strong> s<strong>to</strong>p anyone else from using them and,<br />
usually, <strong>to</strong> demand huge amounts of money for them!<br />
Try <strong>to</strong> get something short and snappy. It’s now possible <strong>to</strong> get company<br />
names up <strong>to</strong> 63 characters, although unless you’re using a common or snappy<br />
phrase, your cus<strong>to</strong>mers are going <strong>to</strong> have a hard time remembering what your<br />
company is called.<br />
That doesn’t always matter nowadays.<br />
Most people who buy your book will be clicking through a link you have<br />
posted. It’s unlikely they will ever write down your dot com name <strong>to</strong> use in<br />
future. <strong>The</strong> Net is so fast, it doesn’t work that way. If your cus<strong>to</strong>mer can’t<br />
remember you name or can’t find it, they’ll just shrug and move on.<br />
If you can, get something that suits your expertise and your future products.<br />
That way you won’t have <strong>to</strong> buy a dot com every time you write another e-<br />
book.<br />
Consider using your own name, as this may be short and unusual enough <strong>to</strong> be<br />
available. If you can’t get the name you want, make slight alterations <strong>to</strong> the<br />
spelling or add words like e-book, yes, fast or wow – things like that – <strong>to</strong><br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mize your company name.<br />
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Unavailable Names<br />
If there’s a dot com name you feel you must have but is taken, all is not lost.<br />
You can find out who owns the name through www.whois.com<br />
If you type in a name <strong>to</strong> your browser that you want then nowadays a ‘name<br />
parker’ will let you know they have it – at a price. Of course, this puts you at a<br />
disadvantage from the seller’s point of view.<br />
You can also register your interest in a name you want or names like it with<br />
websites that will tell you when they become available.<br />
www.dotcomagency.com is one place you might go.<br />
www.distinctivedomainnames.com is another.<br />
Warning: Trading dot com names is turning in<strong>to</strong> a big business (for some – but<br />
not for you!) Don’t spend all your money on a good one – it’s more important<br />
<strong>to</strong> have a good business than a good business name.<br />
Once you’ve got your name, take a few moments now <strong>to</strong> insert it in<strong>to</strong> your e-<br />
book header or footer<br />
Step Two: Convert Your E-book <strong>to</strong> PDF<br />
At this stage, I’m assuming your book is finished and ready <strong>to</strong> go. I’m also<br />
assuming you did the work required in the last chapter - it’s much better <strong>to</strong><br />
have all that behind you before you start.<br />
Log in your ISP and type in www.adobe.com Don’t mess around looking at your<br />
emails or any of the other sites you regularly go <strong>to</strong> check out what’s<br />
happening.<br />
Remember, this is an exercise in focus.<br />
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Got Adobe up yet? Good. Go <strong>to</strong> their free tryout section and sign up. Submit<br />
your e-book file <strong>to</strong> them and wait for the confirmation. <strong>The</strong> Adobe computers<br />
will now start converting your file. As long as it’s not <strong>to</strong>o big a file – as in over 1<br />
meg – you should get it back within the hour.<br />
Adobe will faithfully copy your book and turn it in<strong>to</strong> a read-only format that<br />
you can send <strong>to</strong> your cus<strong>to</strong>mers. <strong>The</strong> file is always smaller than your original<br />
and, because it’s basically a digital “pho<strong>to</strong>graph” rather than a word processing<br />
document, you can set it <strong>to</strong> have the characteristics you want. For instance,<br />
you can set it so that it can’t be copied, or edited in any way.<br />
You can also change the depth of color and B&W, how dark or light you want<br />
the data <strong>to</strong> be. In the professional version, you can also set up indexes and<br />
contents pages that link all the way through the document.<br />
It should be remembered that, before you buy a professional version, the<br />
Adobe file you sell technically belongs <strong>to</strong> Adobe (although the copyright of the<br />
material contained will still belong <strong>to</strong> you). When you’re 2 or 3 books down the<br />
line, buying the professional version will be inevitable. However, for now,<br />
make good use of the free try-outs!<br />
Alternatively go <strong>to</strong> www.software995.com and download their free PDF maker.<br />
Step Three: <strong>Write</strong> a Sales Page & Download/Thank You Page<br />
You should already have these files if you did the work from the last module.<br />
Open them on your computer and have them ready <strong>to</strong> copy.<br />
Do a final quick check for spelling and grammar.<br />
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Step Four: <strong>Write</strong> 5 Email Messages Promoting Your E-book<br />
As with the above step, open these files and check them over for spelling,<br />
grammar and all the essential items – like unsubscribe details -listed in the<br />
previous chapter.<br />
Take out any references <strong>to</strong> dates and times or any mention of the seasons! You<br />
might not edit these messages for a year or so – maybe never. Make sure they<br />
are timeless and yet appear <strong>to</strong> be spontaneous and fresh!<br />
Check the clock. What is it now? Twenty five past ten? We’re working slow.<br />
Better get a move on.<br />
Step Five: Get a Reliable Website Host<br />
Remember the old adage? You get what you pay for.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are some excellent web-hosting companies around. <strong>The</strong>re are also some<br />
very bad ones - though fewer nowadays; reliability being the number one<br />
criteria on which webmasters make their choices.<br />
Type in web hosts in<strong>to</strong> your search engine and take around ten minutes <strong>to</strong><br />
survey the <strong>to</strong>p three.<br />
Get a host that can offer 100% uptime. Or least go for the ones who are honest<br />
enough <strong>to</strong> admit their best is 99%. If you’re in business on the Net, you can’t<br />
afford <strong>to</strong> be offline for a second. You never know when your next cus<strong>to</strong>mer will<br />
be trying <strong>to</strong> reach your site.<br />
You will need <strong>to</strong> register and pay for the web host. Most work instantly. Some<br />
want you <strong>to</strong> wait for 24 hours while they set it up. Don’t forget you’ll need <strong>to</strong><br />
link your company name with your host site – if you haven’t gone for one of<br />
the “all-in” packages.<br />
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Read between the lines of the web host blurb. If you don’t understand<br />
something, ask them a question. Net businesses are always much more helpful<br />
before you’ve spent any money with them. If you don’t get an answer, move<br />
on <strong>to</strong> the next web host. Being a web host is about providing a service. If they<br />
don’t get back <strong>to</strong> you now, what are they going <strong>to</strong> be like in a crisis?<br />
<strong>The</strong> most important thing <strong>to</strong> look for in a web hosting company is if they have<br />
back up servers that kick in if their own fail. This is the future. Good companies<br />
will not rely on just one back up server but six or a dozen. Hackers and Internet<br />
saboteurs are on the increase nowadays and despite severe penalties, these<br />
guys do it for a laugh, a thrill. It’s okay for them. It’s just a game. But never<br />
forget, these guys are messing with your profits.<br />
Don’t think that saving a few pennies on your web host is a good idea. It’s not.<br />
Go for the best, with the most services, the best tracking devices, ftp interfaces<br />
and most of all, cus<strong>to</strong>mer support.<br />
You need all the advice you can get – and quickly - when you’re starting up a<br />
Net business. A lot of companies out there (not just web hosts) won’t even<br />
answer your email if you’re asking what they consider a dumb question. This is<br />
<strong>to</strong>tal arrogance on their part. We all have <strong>to</strong> learn. <strong>The</strong> Internet companies<br />
that understand this will be the ones <strong>to</strong> prosper in the future.<br />
As a general rule, make sure you involve yourself with service providers who<br />
understand this!<br />
I’ve always used www.powweb.com I think they’re the best – plus they can<br />
answer questions online anytime night or day which for someone as crap at<br />
technology as me is a serious boon.<br />
I use www.doteasy.com <strong>to</strong>o though I don’t like the way I keep seeing phan<strong>to</strong>m<br />
charges for their supposed free services coming through on my bank<br />
statements.<br />
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Have a Backup<br />
Plan for disaster. Imagine the worst and know what you’d do about it if it<br />
happened! Spend just half an hour now <strong>to</strong> develop contingencies – this could<br />
save hours of heartache at some point in the future.<br />
When everything on your PC or lap<strong>to</strong>p is working fine, it’s easy <strong>to</strong> forget the<br />
pain and anguish involved when things go wrong. Remember the last time you<br />
couldn’t access you computer because Windows lost just one file and wouldn’t<br />
open?<br />
If this has ever happened <strong>to</strong> you, you will know that feeling of horror when you<br />
realize you might have lost everything. It’s startling and unbelievable at the<br />
same time, you feel almost surreal – the idea that you have wasted all that<br />
time on files that don’t exist anymore!<br />
You hear it all the time – MAKE BACKUPS! But do you?<br />
When you’re running an Internet business, the situation is potentially<br />
catastrophic.<br />
You’ve heard of Murphy’s Law?<br />
If something can go wrong, it will.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Internet not only adheres <strong>to</strong> this rule, it embraces it lovingly. It has added<br />
its own caveat.<br />
Not only will things go wrong, they will always go wrong at the worst possible<br />
time!<br />
Don’t get caught out. Spend a few moments now – just fifteen minutes<br />
developing what in the commercial world is called a “Disaster Recovery Plan.”<br />
This should cover the following:<br />
• An alternate web host & credit card merchant you can switch <strong>to</strong> immediately<br />
if necessary<br />
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• Back up copies of all your mailing lists, affiliates and buyers contact details<br />
• Access <strong>to</strong> another PC – within 12 or 24 hours<br />
• Back up versions of your website(s) including your e-books, newsletters and<br />
bonuses<br />
• <strong>The</strong> number on hand of a fast, efficient PC and modem repair service<br />
• A punch bag or something else <strong>to</strong> take your frustration out on<br />
At the very least, find alternative service providers and click them in<strong>to</strong> your<br />
favorites list.<br />
Whatever you do, don’t leave it until the worst happens – as it will!<br />
So it’s just coming up <strong>to</strong> 11 o clock now in our imaginary time scenario and<br />
you’ll be wondering if there’s something important you should be doing. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
is:<br />
Step Six: Get a Free Web Page Edi<strong>to</strong>r & Create Site<br />
Go back <strong>to</strong> your search engine and type in “free website templates and<br />
edi<strong>to</strong>rs.” Pick one from the list and download an edi<strong>to</strong>r. It’ll probably be on<br />
trial for a month or so – but no matter, you’ll be able <strong>to</strong> pay for a proper one<br />
soon!<br />
Alternatively go <strong>to</strong> www.nvu.com and get their free HTML edi<strong>to</strong>r.<br />
Use the simplest template you can find. If nothing strikes your fancy, use the<br />
edi<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> save someone else’s page – like mine! Just don’t leave any details on<br />
it pertaining <strong>to</strong> the original owner!<br />
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HTML<br />
This is the basic language of websites. It looks simple – and it is – but it’s<br />
laborious and prone <strong>to</strong> errors that the beginner can be completely mystified<br />
by!<br />
<strong>The</strong> good news is that with Front Page, and many other page-building<br />
packages, it’s not absolutely necessary <strong>to</strong> understand HTML.<br />
If in doubt, use standard templates and add text and graphics like you would<br />
with WORD, TEXT or PowerPoint. Let the program do all the hard work. You<br />
can always flick over <strong>to</strong> the HTML screen and see what changes you’ve made<br />
<strong>to</strong> the script – that way you’ll learn slowly without having <strong>to</strong> get down and<br />
dirty with the code.<br />
On the other hand, you sometimes will have <strong>to</strong> adjust HTML. But if you’re not<br />
sure what you’re doing, it’s not <strong>to</strong> be recommended. If you can’t find anyone<br />
<strong>to</strong> fix your problem, either delete it and start again or leave it until you’re<br />
pretty sure you know what you’re doing!<br />
Always save your work as you go along and always make a back up of your<br />
most important work before you make any major changes.<br />
Copy and paste your sales letter in<strong>to</strong> a basic template. Make adjustments <strong>to</strong><br />
the font sizes where necessary but don’t go over the <strong>to</strong>p. Choose a neutral font<br />
like Verdana and use only the most basic primary colors as background and<br />
black on white for the text.<br />
Steal graphics you like from Google images and cut and paste them in<strong>to</strong> your<br />
documents. Sometimes this is not strictly legal but hey, everyone does it.<br />
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An E-book Cover?<br />
Putting book covers on your website can certainly help sales. <strong>The</strong>y can be<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>m made quite cheaply nowadays for about $100. Alternatively you can<br />
make your own.<br />
<strong>The</strong> simplest and cheapest scanner package will have a graphics interface that<br />
you can use <strong>to</strong> download images and write text <strong>to</strong> make a rudimentary cover.<br />
Again, it’s not absolutely essential <strong>to</strong> your web site at the beginning but it can<br />
help cus<strong>to</strong>mers get over that psychological barrier <strong>to</strong> e-books. Plus it looks<br />
slicker.<br />
Having an appealing (female) face on your also cover increases sales.<br />
Don’t go for this option if you’re uncomfortable with it – or the cost and effort<br />
involved. Perhaps leave it till later – when you know you have an e-book that<br />
sells without it.<br />
Step Seven: Get a Free FTP Program – Upload Website<br />
You can usually upload your website directly from your edi<strong>to</strong>r. However, this<br />
may take some time, especially if you’re trying <strong>to</strong> upload your ebook <strong>to</strong>o.<br />
By this stage, you will probably have come across the acronym ftp, which<br />
stands for File Transfer Pro<strong>to</strong>col. In theory it’s an easy way of interfacing with<br />
your web site.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are free ftp packages around that you can experiment with for a month<br />
before you need <strong>to</strong> pay for them. <strong>The</strong>y’re reasonably inexpensive but, there<br />
again, they don’t do very much. <strong>The</strong>y do load files on<strong>to</strong> your website more<br />
quickly than web page edi<strong>to</strong>rs and later on – that might be useful <strong>to</strong> you.<br />
Alternatively go <strong>to</strong> www.ftp995.com and get their free program.<br />
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When your website is ready, it’s relatively easy <strong>to</strong> transfer everything from<br />
your hard drive on <strong>to</strong> your web site host’s server. Usually all you need is your<br />
website’s server address and user name and password you use <strong>to</strong> access it. <strong>The</strong><br />
software does the rest.<br />
Gosh, it’s getting near half eleven now. Are we running out of time? Nope,<br />
we’re nearly there!<br />
What’s next?<br />
Step Eight: Get a Free Au<strong>to</strong>responder, Load Messages<br />
Type “free au<strong>to</strong>responder” in<strong>to</strong> your search engine and wait. Sign up <strong>to</strong> one<br />
there and then.<br />
If you aspire <strong>to</strong> be a serious Internet writer, this one single <strong>to</strong>ol is probably<br />
your most important!<br />
You will need at least one, and more as your business expands. (I have almost<br />
100 au<strong>to</strong>responders working at any one time.)<br />
<strong>The</strong> best thing about au<strong>to</strong>responders is that, as well as answering your<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mers’ requests for information instantly, you can also set up a whole<br />
string of emails in advance that will go out <strong>to</strong> them at pre-specified intervals.<br />
Take the five you constructed in the last chapter and load them on <strong>to</strong> your<br />
au<strong>to</strong>responder site, setting the interval at which you want them <strong>to</strong> go out.<br />
Every day for five days if you like, <strong>to</strong> maximize your subscriber’s exposure <strong>to</strong><br />
you first off.<br />
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Step Nine: Get a Clickbank Account, Put It On Your Site<br />
In the olden days (about ten years ago!) you couldn’t trade online without<br />
having a merchant bank account. This was extremely expensive <strong>to</strong> set up and<br />
maintain, and prone <strong>to</strong> all sorts of unexpected charges.<br />
Thankfully nowadays, sanity rules and the number of companies offering credit<br />
card and online checking facilities is growing.<br />
www.clickbank.com is cheap and easy <strong>to</strong> administer, it remembers all the<br />
relevant accounting information, can process refunds and will send you instant<br />
messages pertaining <strong>to</strong> sales and send a check out <strong>to</strong> you, at limits you<br />
predetermine, <strong>to</strong> anywhere in the Western World.<br />
Link your “Pay now” but<strong>to</strong>n with Clickbank and test the system <strong>to</strong> see if the<br />
potential cus<strong>to</strong>mer ends up back at your “thank you” page. When you’re<br />
satisfied it all works, set your price at Clickbank. <strong>The</strong>y charge a one-off fee <strong>to</strong><br />
do this, usually $50. Don’t pull that face. You do have <strong>to</strong> spend money <strong>to</strong> make<br />
it.<br />
No idea what <strong>to</strong> charge for your own e-book?<br />
Pricing an “no-physical” product is always going <strong>to</strong> be difficult. <strong>The</strong>re will<br />
always be those who regard any charge for information <strong>to</strong> be a gross insult.<br />
That’s a fair opinion, it just doesn’t happen <strong>to</strong> be yours.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was work <strong>to</strong> be done preparing the book. <strong>The</strong>re is much work <strong>to</strong> be done<br />
maintaining access <strong>to</strong> the book, not <strong>to</strong> mention marketing and promotion.<br />
Setting your price is about giving value for money. Are you selling something<br />
you consider valuable? How much would you pay for it?<br />
Real books – new ones - sell for between $20 and $40. Why wouldn’t you price<br />
yours within that range? Okay, there are many e-books on sale on the Net for<br />
around $7 <strong>to</strong> $11. What do you think of this price? Do you think the<br />
information these books contain will be valuable?<br />
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Books about making money could be inordinately valuable – worth many times<br />
the sale price – <strong>to</strong> the right buyer.<br />
How much will the cus<strong>to</strong>mer make out of my information? What will it be<br />
worth <strong>to</strong> him? Think backwards. What do you think your cus<strong>to</strong>mer would be<br />
willing <strong>to</strong> pay for information that could change their lives - and their bank<br />
balances?<br />
Still stuck?<br />
As a rough guide, charge $10 for every 100 pages.<br />
Affiliates<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s a lot of debate about how effective affiliates are.<br />
In case you didn’t know, an affiliate is someone who, in theory, sells your e-<br />
books for you. You get them <strong>to</strong> sign up <strong>to</strong> your program, you feed them a<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mized link, banners and some promotional blurb and they go off and<br />
promote your products for a percentage of the profit – usually 50%.<br />
<strong>The</strong> gurus swear by them. <strong>The</strong>y say you can’t get rich without them.<br />
That may be true. However, my experience is that if you want them <strong>to</strong> do well<br />
for you, you have <strong>to</strong> keep them well fed – that is, you have <strong>to</strong> keep reminding<br />
them you’re there! This can be time consuming and relatively unproductive if<br />
you only have a few. In theory I have thousands. <strong>The</strong>y advertize my name and<br />
my site all over the Net. Some of them even sell stuff…<br />
Trouble is, it’s well known in the industry that only about 1 in 20 of your<br />
affiliates will ever sell anything. BUT – the big but – that one person may well<br />
sell a lot!<br />
Initially, setting up an affiliate program can be expensive, especially if you want<br />
<strong>to</strong> track sales and have <strong>to</strong>tal accountability <strong>to</strong> your affiliates.<br />
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As I’ve mentioned, Clickbank do a relatively simple version of affiliate tracking<br />
and sales capturing – and this is as much as you will need at first. It’s only really<br />
worth investing in a more sophisticated affiliate product after you are sure you<br />
have e-books that actually sell. It’s best <strong>to</strong> wait and see before you spend a<br />
sizeable chunk of your profits on an untested e-book.<br />
Click through <strong>to</strong> the ‘affiliates’ link on the bot<strong>to</strong>m of most sales pages and<br />
you’ll get an idea how these systems operate. Don’t do what I did and spend<br />
$1300 on an affiliate management program from the late Cory Rudl – only <strong>to</strong><br />
discover it was useless <strong>to</strong> me (and didn’t work.)<br />
However, when you do have affiliates, keep them happy and well supplied with<br />
information on all your products and services. You may even want <strong>to</strong> have a<br />
set of web pages especially designed for them <strong>to</strong> help them download<br />
promotional material, banners, articles and sales letters. <strong>The</strong> more varied the<br />
content, generally the better. You never know what will work for some and not<br />
others.<br />
Think of it as a separate advertising medium, one where you can be more<br />
candid and sales oriented than with your buyers and subscribers. As I said,<br />
most of your affiliates will never sell anything. <strong>The</strong> majority sign up because<br />
there’s a possibility of freebies or because they just like signing up <strong>to</strong> things.<br />
That’s okay. Never underestimate the power of one more affiliate. You just<br />
never know.<br />
That said, at the beginning of your Internet career, you’ll have enough <strong>to</strong> do<br />
just writing and selling your first e-book without all the extra work involved in<br />
attracting good affiliates.<br />
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Pre-Launch<br />
It’s just coming up <strong>to</strong> midday and you’ll be itching <strong>to</strong> go, I know, but hold back<br />
just a little.<br />
First, before you do ANY promotion, you need <strong>to</strong> see if everything works.<br />
Test your web links, test your link <strong>to</strong> Clickbank and back <strong>to</strong> your site (Clickbank<br />
allows you <strong>to</strong> do this as many times as you want before you put a price on your<br />
book.)<br />
Test your download page. Call up a friend and get someone else <strong>to</strong> do it <strong>to</strong>o.<br />
Go out <strong>to</strong> an Internet shop and test your site there.<br />
Check your au<strong>to</strong>responder, especially the part where names are substituted by<br />
way of the coding system. <strong>The</strong>re’s nothing worse than receiving an email with<br />
Dear !!>>firstname
Warning! Criticism will flow.<br />
Don’t be surprised if you’re accused of all kinds of sins against humanity. At<br />
best, your scary professionalism and perhaps a grudging acceptance of the way<br />
the world is nowadays.<br />
At worse, you’ll be accused of intimidation, exploitation, even fraud!<br />
Don’t listen <strong>to</strong> them!<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are not your buyers!<br />
You will never EVER sell a book <strong>to</strong> them!<br />
Okay, seriously, they are friends and family. <strong>The</strong>y care about you. Take what<br />
they say and see it in context. Make changes only <strong>to</strong> what you feel they are<br />
right about.<br />
Whatever you do, don’t scrap everything and decide you will need <strong>to</strong> start<br />
again. That’s silly.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fact is most people are <strong>to</strong>o scared <strong>to</strong> do what you have done. Making<br />
money on the Internet is a fine art – as any writer will tell you. And it’s only<br />
those who have enough courage <strong>to</strong> put themselves up for this kind of criticism<br />
– and can take it – that succeed.<br />
This is how the Internet works. <strong>The</strong> louder and more outrageous your publicity,<br />
the more people respond. In fact, the kind of credit card <strong>to</strong>ting surfers who do<br />
buy from the Internet almost expect you <strong>to</strong> be outrageous, and will respond <strong>to</strong><br />
you because of it.<br />
So, if you’re happy, just leave the site as it is and get on with bringing home the<br />
bacon!<br />
But, you ask… what about the final quarter of an hour? What am I supposed <strong>to</strong><br />
do now?<br />
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<strong>Easy</strong>:<br />
Step Ten: Place Classified Ads in 10 Relevant E-zines<br />
Now for the bad news. If you’re just starting out it will take around six weeks<br />
for Google <strong>to</strong> even take note of your website. <strong>The</strong>n they’ll probably list it as<br />
just another website.<br />
You can speed up the process by logging in<strong>to</strong> Google’s webmaster <strong>to</strong>ols – and<br />
following their instructions. But you want <strong>to</strong> get people – buyers – <strong>to</strong> your site,<br />
right?<br />
<strong>The</strong>n you need <strong>to</strong> pay for some ads. That’s quickest, cheapest and easiest way<br />
<strong>to</strong> get sales before the end of the week. Trust me. I tried everything else at the<br />
beginning of my Internet career – and it was the only way that worked.<br />
Put 10 classified ads in relevant e-zines. That’s my best advice.<br />
Of course you could put ads in 100 ezines if you could afford it. But 10 is<br />
enough <strong>to</strong> prove <strong>to</strong> yourself that Internet Marketing works.<br />
In the first few days of your website promotion, forget all the “stuff” you could<br />
do <strong>to</strong> promote yourself online.<br />
Type “ezine list” or “free newsletters” in<strong>to</strong> a search engine and have a look at<br />
the wealth of e-zines and newsletters on offer. Find the ones that are specific<br />
<strong>to</strong> your market and subscribe <strong>to</strong> them.<br />
Check the circulation and the ad rates, then pick ten you’d like <strong>to</strong> advertise in.<br />
Buy the ads. This may cost you say, $100 a go or, if you go for 6 or 12 week<br />
runs, perhaps $500 but, if you’ve done everything else I’ve suggested, you will<br />
make many times more than your initial investment.<br />
Go for it.<br />
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Usually you need <strong>to</strong> pay for the ads first and wait for confirmation and perhaps<br />
a little correspondence before the ad goes out.<br />
You may have <strong>to</strong> wait a week or so before the ads go out but I promise you’ll<br />
be making money before you know it!<br />
If you’re working <strong>to</strong> a small budget, get one ad at a time. That’s what I did. I<br />
picked one e-zine, <strong>to</strong>ok out an ad that was due <strong>to</strong> air on the following Friday,<br />
then wait for the sales. Use some of that money immediately <strong>to</strong> buy another<br />
ad.<br />
I read once that Net marketers should spend 80% of their income on more ads.<br />
I never did – and still don’t. I rarely spend anything.<br />
Before we go on <strong>to</strong> the next series of modules – that are mainly <strong>to</strong> do with self<br />
promotion – let me give you just one piece of advice:<br />
Don’t get sucked in <strong>to</strong> Google Ads. <strong>The</strong>y are blinding rip-off. Google Ads will<br />
suck money out of your credit card so fast you won’t even know what hit you.<br />
And it’s unlikely you’ll make even one sale <strong>to</strong> compensate for the hole in your<br />
pocket. I don’t quite understand why this is – but it’s true.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re. You heard it here first.<br />
So, at 12.15 you can shut down your Internet connection and go fix some<br />
lunch.<br />
You’ll most likely be sitting there wondering if there’s anything else you can do<br />
<strong>to</strong> promote your site.<br />
That’s all covered in the next four modules.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> 10-Step On-Line <strong>Success</strong> <strong>Formula</strong><br />
1. Get a company name<br />
2. <strong>Write</strong> your e-book, convert it <strong>to</strong> PDF<br />
3. <strong>Write</strong> a sales page & a download/thank you page<br />
4. <strong>Write</strong> 5 email messages promoting your e-book<br />
5. Get a reliable website host<br />
6. Get a free web page edi<strong>to</strong>r & create site<br />
7. Get a free FTP program – upload website<br />
8. Get a free au<strong>to</strong>responder, load messages<br />
9. Get a Clickbank account – put on site<br />
10. Place classified ads in 10 relevant ezines<br />
That’s it. Print off this page and place it above your computer or stick it on your<br />
study wall, on the fridge, anywhere it might catch your eye <strong>to</strong> remind you how<br />
simple it is <strong>to</strong> start making a sustained income on the Net, month after month,<br />
practically on au<strong>to</strong>pilot.<br />
Do everything listed – and nothing else! -in the precise order presented and<br />
you won’t waste any time, plus you will start <strong>to</strong> make real money – quickly and<br />
easily. With this “<strong>Easy</strong> <strong>Way</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Write</strong>” formula, it’s practically impossible not <strong>to</strong>!<br />
Good luck!<br />
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What, You Mean – Now?<br />
So, now you know how it’s done, I dare you <strong>to</strong> start. Right now!<br />
Draw up a plan, scribble a few lines, invent some titles <strong>to</strong> e-books – send me an<br />
email – anything at all. Do something – anything and do it now.<br />
Change your life in an instant! Make the decision. It’s that simple!<br />
A Thought<br />
Before we go, I want you <strong>to</strong> ponder on this for a while.<br />
<strong>The</strong> truth is there’s only one way <strong>to</strong> make real money on the Net. All writers<br />
and marketers agree on this one point:<br />
You have <strong>to</strong> do it yourself<br />
It’s the only way. No amount of following advice will help you in the long run.<br />
You have <strong>to</strong> become an Internet writer. And <strong>to</strong> do that, you need your own<br />
product, your own lists and, eventually your own affiliates.<br />
It’s the only way.<br />
Plus, it’s one helluva lot more lucrative than anything else you could spend<br />
your time doing on the Internet!<br />
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Last Word<br />
When you’re setting up your business and looking for help and new ways of<br />
promoting yourself, you will be bombarded with people like yourself,<br />
clamoring for business, each new voice shouting louder than the last.<br />
My advice? Stay calm. Rise above it and, whatever you do, keep a close eye on<br />
what you’re spending. It’s all <strong>to</strong>o easy <strong>to</strong> get carried away and think the answer<br />
<strong>to</strong> your current problem is in one more e-book, a membership <strong>to</strong> a program, or<br />
in one more piece of software.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are a lot of good people out there in cyberspace but there are some that<br />
are only interested in your money. <strong>The</strong>y will lie, cheat and steal <strong>to</strong> get it. Don’t<br />
get taken in. <strong>The</strong>re is nothing that won’t wait a day. Whenever you feel<br />
tempted <strong>to</strong> go for something new, sleep on it. Think about it carefully before<br />
you decide.<br />
Now that you’re the expert, you need <strong>to</strong> be in control and not be swayed by<br />
every half-baked promise of un<strong>to</strong>ld riches.<br />
Keep in mind what you think is a reasonable amount of money for you <strong>to</strong><br />
make, aim for it and once it’s in sight, stick with it. Experiment yes, but don’t<br />
risk everything on a whim.<br />
You’ll do okay, I’m sure.<br />
And as you watch the money rolling in, every day, just a little bit more…<br />
Remember that a guru is someone who guides your life and helps lead you <strong>to</strong><br />
the truth. But, as any real guru will tell you - more often than not - the ultimate<br />
truth is inside you, and is something you already know.<br />
Best of luck.<br />
Rob Parnell<br />
www.the-e-files.net<br />
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