Traffic Toolshop Weekly

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I’ve taken more time than usual between blog entries to develop a story idea.  Are you as tired as I am with all the hoopla about this next product or that new cant-miss strategy, not to mention the dozens of cut-and-paste emails arriving in your inbox?  If so, then read on …

Sylvie Fortin, in her ebook Internet Marketing Sins does an excellent job of squaring up the main problem when she writes, “I have heard what some really nasty marketers say about their customers and how some don’t give a s**t about how their customers are treated.”  Only in internet marketing (and perhaps on some used car lots) can these shady characters stay in business.

Principles are always at work whether you think so or not.  Like an airplane these junk peddlers may stay in the jetstream for a while but, eventually, gravity comes calling - and gravity always wins.  To make things simple, let’s refer to this kind of person as Mr. Rabbit.  Of course, he (or she) is fictional and any similarity to a real person is (at least kind of) coincidental. 

 Mr. Rabbit is ready to sprint off the starting line at each new product launch. He doesn’t care who or what he leaves in his dust trail. Only the carrot known as “commissions” has relevance in his world. Mr. Rabbit prides hmself in his ability to hop around those who dare to question his ethics. He reasons that as a speedy rabbit he can always get more “carrots” during the next product launch, repackaged ebook, or other commission grabbing event.

Enter another marketer whom we will call Mr. Turtle. Of course, like Mr. Rabbit he, too, is an internet marketer. Insert disclaimer: he (or she) is fictional and any similarity to a real person is (at least kind of) coincidental.

But unlike Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Turtle believes he has a responsibility to his customers or clients to provide them with value. In other words, Mr. Turtle places the needs and wants of his customers above his own. He surveys the landscape before the race starts. He is willing to go slow on the course in order to build relationships with his patrons. You see, Mr. Turtle knows that ideas and long-term planning are where his fortune will be found. So as Mr. Rabbit speeds by, hurling insults about how stupid Mr. Turtle is for not doing it the rabbit way, he smiles and simply continues his slow but steady pace towards the finish line.

Fast forward … a few weeks, months or even years. We find Mr. Rabbit is busy counting the number of “carrots” he has acquired before dashing off to the next big product launch (mistakingly … known as a JV opportunity, it’s really just a list trading event). His eyes grow big and a smug little wave of confidence makes his ears and tail quiver.

Meanwhile, Mr. Turtle is still making slow and steady progress towards the finish line. He really isn’t concerned at all about the temporary stockpiling of commissions being earned by Mr. Rabbit. Unlike the other guy, Mr. Turtle knows that if all the “apple pies” are consumed before he gets to the finish line, all he has to do is put another one in the oven, so to speak. Additionally, Mr. Turtle has spent time making sure his customers are happy with his services or products.

“So what?”, you might ask. Herein lies a major difference in business/marketing philosophies! When his apple pies are done cooking, Mr. Turtle has a list of people he considers his delivery route. Because he has genuinely shown he cares about his clients needs they are eager to purchase a fresh apple pie from him. When Mr. Rabbit crosses the finish line, he realizes his apple pie has already been consumed along the way. Faced with this reality Mr. Rabbit does the only thing he knows to do — wait for it — hop, hop, hop as fast as he can to the next big commission-grabbing product launch. His whiskers hang low as he realizes he might not beat other Mr. or Mrs. Rabbits to the “carrot” patch. And when he finally gets to the next big event, he immediately starts blasting everyone on his list about how good this new batch of “carrots” is! Of course, he has only a list, and he has no concern, no genuine interest, no time to spend with clients or customers to make sure they are satisfied with the product or service.

The story goes on, as I am sure you know. If you haven’t guessed by now, you probably realize I am very glad to be a turtle. To all the rabbits out there, I wish you the best, I really do. But when your rabbit’s foot gets injured or your ears droop from exhaustion, simply find one of the many turtles you raced by and ask them to help you learn how business really works!

Stumble It!

Have you ever noticed how some blogs are nothing but cut-and-paste sales pitches?  You can search entry after entry and never find an original thought from the blog owner on marketing or doing business online!  Last week it was a product to help you build your list, this week an e-book containing secrets to make X number of dollars by the weekend (and resale rights included so you can pawn it off on others), next up a software program guaranteed to automate everything for you while you sit on the beach.

It seems like unscrupulous marketers are conducting their own experiment on how many sales it takes to get their customers to salivate for the next big thing.  Notice that I said unscrupulous marketers.  There are lots of hard-working, honest business people offline and online.  However, it seems the internet marketing ”doctors” are flooding websites and inboxes everywhere with pieces of “dog food”.  A launch could be considered as operating a can opener.  Hear the hum?  That’s the sound they hope gets you reaching for that credit card.  Oooh, look at that dish of stuff, guaranteed to make you successful!

I am reminded of Armand Morin’s no-holds-barred statement in the last BigSeminar webcast where he asked if these practices should be defined as manipulation rather than marketing.  Honestly, anyone who says you must use their product and only their product to be successful; anyone who says success is guaranteed with your purchase of their wares, is only interested in your money, not in helping you succeed in the online world, or in any other business for that matter!

Treating customers and clients with respect will make your business sustainable over the long term.  Ringing the bell and hoping customers come running is very short-sighted and demonstrates a lack of confidence in your own business or product’s perceived value.

Stumble It!

Okay, it’s been just over a week since my last post and I’m still in a ranting mood.  That said, I want to be clear, I’m using these email and website copy excerpts as an example of a much bigger problem. Personally, I have nothing against Easy Offline Riches or Mark Laraeu, just the methods being employed.  Instead of claiming old forms of media are dead, instead of claiming Albany has banned phone books when they haven’t, instead of participating in the commission grab stampede, why not show the customer the value of the product itself?

From the website copy, “So here’s the bottom line…will you invest just $69 to be plugged into a system that Guarantees Your Success?” Really, success is guaranteed? From the disclaimer on the same website, ” … there is no guarantee that you will earn any money using the techniques and ideas in these materials. Examples in these materials are not to be interpreted as a promise or guarantee of earnings.” As the old maxim goes: What the large print giveth, the fine print taketh away!

I wonder how many people who are promoting this as the greatest thing since sliced bread have used any of the tools - or even purchased the product themselves?  This whole experience is but one example of Sylvie Fortin’s concern in her ebook Internet Marketing Sins, Part Two.  I highly recommend her book, even though there is no commission for doing so.

Okay, as I’ve said so many times before, affiliate marketing is not bad, making commissions on products is not bad either.  From my perspective, what is bad is having an attitude that “the sale” is all that matters.  And while it is true that if there were no demand for such products then they wouldn’t be sold, often what happens is the “gurus” do their best to make it seem like buying their offerings is the ONLY way you can succeed.

Sales tactics such as those described above, in addition to a number of others are, at least in part, the reason Google bans their ads from use on traffic exchanges and paid-to-click or paid-to-promote websites.  Why?  Unlike these “gurus” who take the money and run, Google’s success depends on providing continuing value to their customers. … Whew, ranting done for now … until my next post 

 
Stumble It!

As with many others, I have family members who live near Houston so the past couple of weeks have been very busy for me.  All of them are doing fine and will be busy for a while removing tree limbs, checking roofs and windows, cleaning up debris, etc.  Okay, enough about my family for now - on to the subject at hand. 

A new product must be available.  How else would you explain the flurry of emails announcing that the Yellow Pages are dead?  The thought of making quick cash on the latest launch has some people cutting and pasting copy at record speeds.  Now there is nothing wrong with being an affiliate marketer, and nothing wrong with trying to sell products.  However, your reputation is at stake so wouldn’t it make sense to verify the statements or claims made before sending out the latest offer to your list?

Case in point:  The Yellow Pages are dead. Knowledge Networks SRI, a world reknown analytical service found that 13.8 billion Yellow Pages searches were conducted compared to 3.8 billion online searches.  Also, Simba Information, another research company focused specifically on media and technology declared: “Last year, Yellow Pages publishers logged about $16.8 billion in revenue. That figure is on pace to rise to $17.2 billion this year, and $17.6 billion in 2009, according to Simba’s projections.”  (View the full article at http://www.biz-journal.com/articles/2008/08/09/national_and_international/doc489e6d39770e5288007744.txt)

“Yellow Page delivery is being banned in some cities for environmental reasons (such as Albany, NY),” says the copy of the cut-and-paste emails arriving in my inbox.  This is not true.  An Albany city councilman has tried several times, without success, to get a bill passed that would restrict the distribution of phone books in Albany.  Other cities, counties, and states have also turned away legislative attempts concerning the banning of phone books. Internet advertising revenue is increasing in size and scope, but so are other forms of advertising.

The Yellow Pages are dead? Why insult your customers’ intelligence by making such outlandish claims?

So, feel free to see if you can get an email out quicker than others in hopes of making “the sale” before they do.  Yes, some will say you can always make more sales.  But if you don’t care about your reputation, why should those on your list care about the latest product you want them to buy from you?

Part five of Six Men Who Made Internet Marketing Possible will be posted soon.  Thanks for reading my rant, and as always feel free to post a comment!

It has come to my attention that the Traffic Toolshop domain is showing as expired, making the website unavailable for use.  The domain has been renewed but for some reason is unaccessible both for members and for me as the admin.  Thanks for your patience and know the Traffic Toolshop will be back online ASAP!

If you have read several posts on this blog you know that I am a firm believer in dynamic marketing, particularly when it comes to doing business online.  And as I’ve said before, no where does the marketing environment change faster than on the internet.  There is nothing wrong with using methods or practices that have served you well for several years.  However, just because one way of doing things works now does not mean it will work later.

Yes, you could continue using a typewriter because it’s comfortable and has produced results for you for years.  But why would you?  Word processing software allows you to make changes and add features to your presentations much quicker and easier than a typewriter.

The same reasoning applies to doing business online. Here’s a dirty little secret - change is happening right now whether we want it to or not.  There is no standing still, no maintaining the status quo.  Like the universe cyberspace is growing by leaps and bounds.  As in all business environments those who are focused on the changing needs and desires of their customers will stay relevant.  Entities that resist adapting may not cease to exist but will become obsolete just like typewriter makers have.

Someone may say, “What the heck does a typewriter have to do with internet marketing or online business?”  A changing business environment, staying relevant, your product or service and it’s perceived value to your present and future customers, to name a few.  … (to be continued)  

…changed how nearly all of us viewed the personal computer.  Love him or hate him, Bill Gates and Microsoft have made using computers an integral part of everyday life.  It can be argued that without Microsoft and Windows computers would have remained the domain of engineers, scientists and technical geeks.  The advent of graphical-based interface programs and devices made it easy for the rest of us to use computers for a variety of purposes.

Sure, the rumors perpetuate about someone else or some other company inventing the concept and Bill Gates “stealing” the idea.  Fact is, Gates, as Ellison, McNealy and others would later do, saw the value in making something as mundane as the computer into an integral part of daily life be it personal or business related.

So, Bill Gates is the fourth person in this lineup of six men who made internet marketing possible.  Even if the business owner is not fond of Microsoft or Windows chances are their customers like using it.  Making computers easy to use also made them easy to conduct business through, and as the saying goes … the rest is history.

Have you ever had one of those moments?  One where you hear or read the words you’ve been trying to express?  A recent post on the Bizphere blog is like that.  So, be honest, haven’t you ever wondered why those who claim to be gurus are the only ones that make money?  Or, how about the televangelist who is always talking about how God wants to make you rich but your “harvest” never seems to arrive?

The similarities are striking.  The TV preacher says you must have faith, keep “sowing your seed.”  The dishonest internet marketer says you need to buy this product, that product, attend his/her seminars, and buy the home study courses.  It seems both of these hucksters want to string you along until you either exceed your credit limit or go away in a frustrated mood.

Unlike a good football or baseball coach who really does want you to succeed the unscrupulous preacher/marketing guru is hoping you continue to fail.  Why?  So you keep coming back for more.  Keep casting that bread upon the water.  Keep investing in your marketing education.  Soon, your havest will come in or your products will start selling, etc.

“Real” hope is like wrapping paper and ribbons wrapped around a dream and in working your rear end off to make that dream come true.  The dream is the driving force and hope is “along for the ride” so to speak.  I could provide examples, but like I mentioned earlier, the Bizphere blogger says it better:

http://www.bizphere.com/are-you-buying-hope/

Quick!  Identify the correct answer concerning the birthplace of the internet browser:

1. A secluded, tiny office in the Silicon Valley region of California.
2. The basement of a computer science building at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
3. In the lab of a technology company located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle.
4. On a university campus in the heart of Illinois.

If you chose “D” then pop that cork and start celebrating!  The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, a sleepy Midwestern university town is indeed the birthplace of technology that made the Internet user-friendly, thereby making it a daily necessity of life for hundreds of millions of individuals.

University of Illinois student Marc “Andreessen and a full-time salaried co-worker Eric Bina worked on creating a user-friendly browser with integrated graphics that would work on a wide range of computers. The resulting code was the Mosaic web browser.”[1]

A while after graduating Andreesen and co-founder Jim Clark started a company in Mountain View, California. They soon changed the name from Mosaic to Netscape Navigator to stay in good graces with the University of Illinois.

This concept of taking the World Wide Web that Tim Berners-Lee and his colleagues at CERN had created and combining it with a user-friendly browser that appealed to the masses resulted in the internet boom heard around the world.  “Mosaic is clumsy but extraordinarily fun. With Mosaic, the online world appears to be a vast, interconnected universe of information. You can enter at any point and begin to wander; no Internet addresses or keyboard commands are necessary. The complex methods of extracting information from the Net are hidden from sight. Almost every person who uses it feels the impulse to add some content of his or her own. “[2]

Think about it.  If you had to type long lines of code just to go to a website would you do it?  Navigator (a.k.a. Mosaic) enabled everyone to have an enjoyable ride on the information superhighway. Many other browsers are now in use but it is Netscape Navigator that brought the Internet from a limited use tool to the mass market commodity we all enjoy today.