HOW TO TURN YOUR COMPUTER INTO A MONEY-MAKING BATTLEAXE!
Why did you buy your computer? Did you buy it to
play games? Fair enough. Did you buy it to help
you keep track of your current business? Good
answer, too. Not sure why you bought it? That's
okay, that probably describes most people.
Here's something you should know... your
computer is an important tool that can
springboard you into a very high profit business!
How high?1000% profits good enough for you? If
not, you're too greedy, but if that sounds good
to you, read this report. You'll learn how you
can start a highly profitable business creating
and selling INFORMATION PRODUCTS with your
computer.
Selling information is, in my opinion, THE best
business. Why? Well, there are a number of
reasons. Among them,
- It's easy and inexpensive to start
- It's easy and inexpensive to run on an
ongoing basis
- It can be run in spare time or full time
- Anyone, young or old, male or female can do
it
- It can be run from the home
- It can have incredibly high profits
- There's no need to tie up a bunch of money
in inventory and there are many more
reasons.
A very important aspect of this business is that
people will ALWAYS want information. It's not a
business based on trends or fads (unless you're
writing about them), and competition isn't as big
a factor as in other businesses. There may be
other people writing about the same subjects as
you, but there will always be many angles and
approaches that can be taken toward the same
subject. This will make your information product
unique.
There is no limit to the types of subjects that
can successfully be sold. People will always want
to know: ways they can make or save money;
information about hobbies they either are
involved in or want to start; travel tips and
techniques; how-to information about various
trades and businesses; and much more. The secret
to doing this successfully is called TARGETING.
Targeting means that you are producing
specialized information that will appeal to a
specific group of people. To paraphrase an old
adage, if you try to be all things to all people,
you won't succeed. But, if you try to be a
certain thing for a certain group, you WILL
succeed
The trend that has shaped and reshaped this
business more than any other has been the
explosion of direct mail marketing. People are
buying more and more by mail, and it seems like
each year doubles the previous year. The great
thing about direct mail marketing is that there
are many ways you can isolate a specific group of
people and market directly to that group.
To put this another way, if you put an ad in a
newspaper that has a circulation of 25,000, maybe
only 5,000, or even 1,000 or less, will be
interested in what you have to offer. However,
if you put your ad in a publication that has a
circulation of 25,000 people interested in
fishing, you've just targeted a group that will
be interested in what you have to offer (as long
as your offer has to do with fishing). The more
you narrow down your target group to the exact
people who will be interested in your
information products, the more success you will
see. This is targeting.
So how does your computer help you in this
business? Well, besides the obvious uses of
keeping your customer list and organizing your
accounting needs, your computer can completely
eliminate the need for inventory. That's right!
Create your info-products with your word
processing program, and you can print them out
whenever you need them, however many you need.
That way, you don't tie up a lot of money in
printing and storage, plus, if you happen to
create an info-product that DOESN'T sell
(everyone does - just ask me!), you don't get
stuck with a bunch of product you can't sell.
Also, the computer makes it easier to create
these products. You say you can't write? Well,
don't get scared away. You don't have to be
Tolstoy in this business. Here's the secret:
WHEN YOU WRITE SOMETHING, PRETEND YOU'RE TALKING
TO A FRIEND! MAKE IT LIKE A COVERSATION, AND IT
WILL BE EASY TO WRITE, AND EASY TO READ. That's
exactly how I write. I do all my writing just
like I'm sitting across the table from a friend
of mine, or writing a friendly letter. Too many
people churn out stilted, boring, college
professor-type writing, thinking it sounds
"high-minded" or "educated." It's just hard to
read, that's all. Conversational writing is the
best, and the computer makes it easy. If you can
type with any reasonable speed, you can type
faster and longer than you could write, without
getting tired.
PICKING YOUR SUBJECTS
What to write about? Make a list of everything
you know. I know, that can be easier said than
done. You may think you don't know enough about
much of anything to write about, but that's not
true. All of your hobbies, interests, work
experiences, etc. can be great starting points.
Don't worry about how much information you can
pull out of a subject. Info-products aren't all
200 page books. Successful information products
have ranges from large books all the way down to
single page reports! A three page report that
costs less than 60 cents to print out and send can be
sold for $10. What percent profit is that?
Pick a subject from your list that you think
would interest a good number of people. Now,
list the possible questions you could answer.
The best way to organize them for an info-product
is usually the "problem-solution" method, where
you state the problem or question, then give the
solution or answer. Now, talk to your imaginary
friend! Tell him or her your story. If it helps,
talk out loud into a DVD recorder! Then, type
it with your word processor. You've just created
your first info-product!
Another, more powerful way to create an
information product is to find a market that is
hungry for information, then research and write
products that will feed this hunger. If you know
the market's already there, then half your work
is done for you!
How do you go about finding these markets? By
doing a little creative research. The simplest
method is to go to your library, and get at least
eight consecutive months or more of magazines
that have large classified and mail order ad
sections. Look through the ads and find the ones
that keep appearing in each issue. These ads are
obviously drawing orders, or else they wouldn't
keep running. Make a list of the subjects of
these ads. These will be some good markets to
explore. And don't worry about the competition!
Offer these markets something different and
better, and you'll find success.
WHY DO PEOPLE BUY INFORMATION?
An important thing to keep in mind is that every
single person who buys an information product
does it for one of two reasons: to avoid a pain,
or to find a pleasure. Sometimes the reason they
bought the product could be both. For example,
why did you buy this issue (or subscription)?
Did you want to learn ways to make extra money?
That's finding a pleasure. Or, did you want
independence from working for someone else for
the rest of your life? That's avoiding a pain.
Use this fact as a guide that will help you
attack an information subject from the proper
angle. Show your target market how to find the
pleasure or avoid the pain, and they will buy.
How do you find information on a subject you're
writing about? There are many ways. Your local
library can provide most of the information
you'll need. You can interview experts on the
subject, either in person, or through the mail or
phone. Write to groups and associations
connected with the subject.Whatever you do,
though, DON'T just copy the information you find.
This will more than likely violate copyright
rules.
DON'T WANT TO WRITE?
If you still don't feel like you can successfully
write an information product, or just don't want
to, there is still a way you can get a successful
start in this business. What you need to do is
find information that is either PUBLIC DOMAIN or
includes REPRINT RIGHTS.
Public domain means no one controls the
copyright. Either it is older material that never
had the copyright renewed, or it was released
free of copyright to the public. The best type of
material to look for, though, is information
products that include reprint rights. In other
words, when you buy the product, you also buy the
right to reproduce it and resell it. Many times,
a sales flyer or advertisement is included, with
a spot left open for your name and address so you
can immediately start making a profit. This is a
secret of the business that has been kept our of
the general public eye. You can find droves of
material like this mostly from mail order dealers
who specialize in informational products.
Everything from single page reports to full books
are available. Besides being great for starting
out, reprintable materials are also fantastic as
add-ons to your own line of products. That's what
I do, and it works great!
When you purchase an information package
including reprint rights, the smart thing to do
is type the material into your word processor,
and save it to your hard disk. That way, when
you receive an order, all you need to do is print
out a copy.
A breakthrough in the reprint rights business has
been the emergence of reprintable material
already on disk. Most of the products are
contained in ASCII text files, which can be
loaded by almost any word processor. Some of the
disks even contain menu and printing programs, so
your word processor isn't required. I have an
excellent product like this available, called the
INFO-DISK Business Report System, which contains
over 800 reports that you can print out and sell.
The package includes personalized flyers and ads,
so you can get started right away. I'll tell you
more about this later... back to the
information!
By the way, you don't have to limit yourself to
the printed page. Information can be published on
audio cassette, computer disk, video DVD, use
your imagination! If you're writing about how to
refurbish old bicycles, make a video! You can do
it with a regular home video camera, with some
practice. Or, create your product on audio DVD.
This can be as simple as reading your printed
info-product into a DVD recorder. Thus, your
customer can listen and learn while driving,
riding a bike, or whatever.
Whatever publishing method you use, be sure to
copyright your original material (even if you're
creating a product that will be sold with reprint
rights - you still own the copyright, you just
give certain people the right to reprint your
work). This can be done easily and with no
expense by putting a copyright notice on your
product, such as this: Copyright 1996, Pat
Flanagan Publishing & Design. Either spell out
"Copyright" or use the official copyright symbol
(the letter "c" with a circle around it). Don't
use (c), as this is not legally acceptable. If
you have put together valuable information that
people may want to copy, you can officially
register your copyright.
MARKETING YOUR INFO-PRODUCT
The most important marketing methods you can use
are press releases (send them frequently);
reviewers (get your product to as many of them as
you can); articles/columns (offer to write
articles on your subjects for publications free
of charge - as long as they include a short
paragraph you supply that contains your name and
address, and a short description of how readers
can benefit from you and your products); and, of
course advertising.
When advertising, the best method to use is the
two-step. That's not a dance, it's advertising
that asks for inquiries, instead of selling the
product outright. People write for more
information, and you send them a ton of info on
your products and services. This is what draws
the order. It's much less expensive, easier, and
produces better results than a bunch of expensive
ads which will send you to the poorhouse if they
don't pull.
There are many ways to cut your mail order ad
expenses. You can use expanding classified ads
(your classified ad gives a "teaser" message with
a phone number - callers get an answering machine
that delivers a 2-3 minute sales message, and
takes credit card or COD orders); you can use
print & mail dealers (they will print and mail
your flyers or ads by bulk mail to large numbers
of people - usually opportunity seekers - for
much cheaper than if you tried to do it
yourself); you can advertise electronically on
computer Bulletin Board Systems; you can create
your own ad sheets (your ad takes up part of a
sheet or sheets of paper, and you sell the rest
of the space to pay your ad's way - this is a
business in and of itself); and you can set up
your own advertising agency (most large magazines
and newspapers give agencies a 15% discount and
an additional 2% discount if paying in advance -
create a new business name with new letterhead to
do this).
IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS
Guarantee your products - Offer a money back
guarantee on your products. If you feel uneasy
doing this, maybe your product isn't as good as
it could be. If you are proud and confident
about what you've created, you shouldn't have any
qualms about doing this. A guarantee will boost
your sales by building customer confidence.
Always be good-natured with your customers, even
when they complain - If you're surly with your
customers, they'll tell others not to do business
with you. Enough said.
Keep your ears and eyes open - Watch what others
in your field are doing. If you see a company
that has come up with a good idea, think about
how to adapt it to your own business.
Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes or
failures - You won't hit a home run every time
you go to bat. If you create a product that
doesn't sell, don't run your business into the
ground trying to get it to sell. Drop it and
move on. Keep plugging away, because mail order
is a "get-rich-slow" business when done right.
Share your knowledge - Once you're good at this
business, help others get in. Teach a beginner
what you've learned. This is called mentoring,
and I feel it's an important concept. It helps
you stay in touch with your business, and helps
the home business and small business industries
grow and advance.
Above all, HAVE FUN! - Why work so hard to get
into your own business if you don't even like
it? Take things lightly, and have a bit of fun.
Self-publishing can be a very rewarding, relaxing
and fun business. Stay at home with the family,
work a few hours a day, and enjoy what you've
accomplished.
CONCLUSION
Self-publishing your own info-products can be
done by anyone who's willing to apply themselves
and reach past their limits. It's not as hard or
expensive as you think.Start small, with a few
short reports, and work your way up. Look at me
- I've publish a newsletter, a book, this disk,
and literally hundreds of info-products, all from
an office in my home. If I can, you can too!
ARE YOU READY TO START YOUR OWN INFO-PUBLISHING
BUSINESS WITH YOUR COMPUTER?
If you are, then you need to take a look at my
Info-Disk Business Report System! It's disks
with over 800 reports on it, with full reprint
rights included, so you can sell them and keep
all the profits! It also includes professionally
designed, personalized flyers and display ads, so
you can get going right away.
For full information on the Info-Disk Business
Report System, take a look at my Total Business
Success Catalog contained on this disk. You'll
find a full listing of the reports included on
the disk, as well as more information that will
show you why you need the Info-Disk!
