The Affiliate Black Book
I’ve written a ton of material that could end up in the Affiliate Black Book - now the challenge is to whittle it down.
Tentatively here’s a peek inside:
1. Dirty Little Secrets for Using OPP as Your Front End
2. The Unappointed Affiliate Manager
3. The Appointed Affiliate Manager
4. How to Have Affiliates Send You Traffic Even When You Have No Product
5. The Sneaky Ad***** Trick
6. Top-Secret Tricks and Little-Known Tools
Basically, the point of this book is how to take advantage of affiliate marketing beyond just making a few bucks here and there on commissions.
If that’s the only thing you’re using affiliate marketing for then you’re really missing the big picture (at least that I see).
I’m also working on a membership site project with a mega-geek programmer from Microsoft. I mean “mega-geek” in the nicest way.
I’m motivated to get both of these projects out by June 1 . . .
X
It’s Not What You Sell . . .
It’s not what you’re selling - it’s how you make people feel.
You’re not selling ebooks, audios, videos, or gadgets.
You’re selling feelings.
Internet Marketing Wealth Alliances
I need a break from dealing with “the assholes of the world” to talk about something new.
It’s easy to get caught in the latest hyped up methods of the moment and lose site of the big picture. X is no exception to this.
While meeting with a partner of mine who has tons of direct marketing experience but little online, he asked me a question you and I should be asking ourselves everyday:
“How do we get traffic that’s going to add the most to our bottom-line fastest?”
Let me shock you with the answer - it’s not pay per click. Pay per click is great for a constant stream of traffic and if you get in front of the right landslide you CAN get a lot of traffic fast.
You can also lose your ass.
No the best answer to that question is simple: joint ventures and affiliates.
The concept of “wealth alliances” takes this an additional step. The way I see most people operate is a “one and done” with JV partners. And if someone actually reciprocates a favor, that’s remarkably unique. I learned a long time ago there are VERY few people in the IM niche who’s word means ANYTHING.
And, maybe I’ve just stayed in the IM niche too long.
What I’m talking about with “wealth alliances” is simple. You get six complementary businesses - with complementary offers together - and you take turns promoting each other. Each business is promoted by every other twice per year.
Like I said, the idea is simple . . . and it’s more than an idea.
I’ve had the unique opportunity to work with 2 businesses selling essentially the same product.
Business one embraced the idea of “wealth alliances” and enjoyed explosive growth. In a couple short years, with this strategy accounting for about HALF of all income, this business built a multi-million dollar income and a list of approximately 150,000 subscribers. All of the businesses involved benefited similarly.
Business two’s owner took the attitude of “my product is the only solution anyone needs” and refused to do JVs of any sort. While I respect his integrity, it came at the expense of his business. Today, his business continues to struggle online and he has an accumulated list of about 20,000 (NOTE: the 150,000 subscriber count of business one was while I worked with them five years ago - that list is probably much larger now - the latter list of 20,000 is a current count).
Most businesses have this primary concern: “If I promote other people, then I’m going to lose my customers to them”.
No, not so fast. This is why you have two lists - one of prospects and one of buyers.
Prospects are people who are on your list but they haven’t bought; this are like dates that have no future. They’re an asset you’ve paid to acquire and while the two of you may not be a “love match”, there might be a “love match” with one of your JV partners (this concept could never get through the head of business owner two).
By the way, I detail this whole approach in Money Map X - it costs eight bucks.
What’s involved with forming a wealth alliance?
- Find, then contact five businesses that appear to be a match. You want to look for high quality partners (assuming you offer high quality goods yourself). Contact them and communicate the vision.
- In niches outside IM, you’ll find list owners don’t care about commissions - they want a reciprocal mailing. Smart marketers recognize the value of new leads mean more than one-time commissions. Be prepared to negotiate. If your list is smaller, offer a higher-than-normal commission to get the ball rolling.On the topic of list size, don’t judge a list by it’s size. Judge it by how it’s been built, who’s on it and how it’s been managed. I’d rather have a partner with a high-quality list of 8000 than a partner who regularly beats the hell out of list of 500,000 freebie seekers.
- Ask your new partner(s) if they can recommend another business or two to join you. Finding someone with an existing “in” makes the process easier.
- Create a calendar where everyone is scheduled a full year out so you can track who’s mailing who and when. It’s vitally important that these commitments take precedence over anything else that comes along - failure to do so will cause issues FAST. Also, there are better times of the year for some types of businesses to promote - keep this in mind so the schedule comes out fair on the whole. Most people probably don’t want your “just before Thanksgiving and Christmas” slot, but with this setup someone is mailing for them every month and it all evens out.
Marketing is simple - if not always easy.
It breaks down to three things I know you’ve heard many times, but it’s easy to overlook -
I want to sell:
- More stuff
- To more people
- More often
This takes care of the “to more people” part of the marketing success equation.
X
PS - I’m looking for some new JV partners in the niches of SLEEP, MEDITATION, STRESS RELIEF, AND PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS (this is pretty wide open). If you’ve got a high quality product, a respectable list and the desire to get involved in one of my wealth alliances then leave me a comment (I won’t post it) or send an email to sales<at>adwordsblackbook<dot>com
PSS - If you haven’t checked out Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula Videos, I recommend you do - this all fits.
joint venture marketing strategy wealth allianceGodin Tells Google About Adwords
Interesting presentation by Seth Godin to Google about why he thinks Adwords works.
Dan Kennedy On Pricing
Read this. Absorb this. Live this. Bang this into your head with a hammer if you must.
Dan Kennedy wrote . . .
“The area where I’ve had the combination of the most impact and the most immediate impact in the most businesses has actually not been direct-response marketing or copy that sells; it is ‘price’. Often ‘price’ is the path to stored value, hidden or overlooked opportunities, marketplace and competitive advantage, and even personal liberty for businesses’ owners. By exploring price strategies, we find our way to other opportunities to unleash enormous profit boosting opportunities in a client’s business.
“I constantly tell people: if you are in a ‘commodity’ or commoditized business – GET OUT. I don’t mean actually leaving the category of business you are in and embarking on an entirely new career. I mean creatively reinventing the business to be perceived differently than all other businesses in the category, so customers, clients or patients stand in line waiting, even literally begging you to accept them, rather than viewing you as interchangeable. This is extremely important. It is about a shift in POWER that must precede dramatic improvements in PROFIT. Sometimes changes in price strategies can be used to spearhead these changes. Other times, changes in price that favor the owner follow these other changes.
“Consider the chocolate chip cookie or steak. These are ordinary commodities readily available within 15 minutes of just about everybody anywhere in America. You can buy cookies at the supermarket, convenience stores, drug stores or pay a higher price for them at bakeries or cookie stores in malls or pay even higher prices for them at a Starbucks® or pay even higher prices to have them Federal Expressed to you at your home or office from Mrs. Fields® or other purveyors. You can get a steak burrito at Taco Bell® , a steak-burger at Dennys®, a steak dinner at Applebees® or, for higher price, at Outback®, or for higher price still at Mortons® or Ruth Chris® or you can buy steaks at your supermarket or pay more at the butcher shop or pay more to have them FedEx’d from Omaha Steaks® or pay about 50% more than that to have them FedEx’d from Allen Brothers®. If price controlled buyers’ behavior, these broad ranges of prices would not be able to exist. You will be tempted to point out that you are not in the cookie business. Pfui. EVERY business, without exception, is subject to a broad range of price. Sleep can be had at Motel-6 or at the Four Seasons or better. EVERY business.
“Failing to constantly ‘noodle’ better strategies for price and presentation of price is dereliction of owner responsibility.
This Only Makes Me Laugh
For your entertainment . . . a note from a (un?) subscriber responding to my “Please Unsubscribe” message.
You sent me this:
Hey Linque -
I slept well knowing that you’re
not among the sorry asses of the
world - 9 girly-boys unsubscribed.Bu-bye and good riddance. Now we
can get to business have a little
fun.I am telling you THIS:
Who the hell do you think you’re talking to??????????????? YOU MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Girly boy????????? You don’t have the brass to say that to my face!!!!!!
Cool down Linque - you bad boy, you. I love running across guys like you who make it so easy to push their buttons.
So yesterday, for probably the 500th time I see a post on the Warrior Forum about how stupid marketers are for using long copy.
As I often do, I wrote a response and deleted it without posting.
But I’ll let you in on what I had to say - and why it applies to our buddy Linque here.
The problem is long copy or short copy. This is like saying “Novels suck - people should only write articles”.
Some novels do suck. And some [MOST] long sales letters suck too.
But it isn’t the length that matters; it’s the fact that lousy writing is lousy writing.
Sometimes you read a book that you never want to end - how many thousands of pages is the Harry Potter series now?
It’s interesting - it’s good stuff.
Most sales letters attempt to be generic blabber that appeals to everyone - God forbade we offend the likes of Linque, who don’t comprehend the message anyway.
Your goal as a marketer is to reach, to qualify and build a relationship with THE RIGHT PEOPLE. And that means that the sooner the WRONG PEOPLE dislike you, the better.
But X! I want everyone to like me!
Then deal with your approval issues - they will prevent you from being the best marketer you can be. They will prevent you from taking action and standing FOR SOMETHING.
If your sales copy isn’t polarizing people - if you don’t have people on either side of the fence loving and hating, then you’re playing it WAY too safe.
The best stuff I’ve EVER written - product or sales copy - polarized people and yes, I’ve had second thoughts about putting it out there. But the more audacious it is - the more I feel like “Oh, man . . . this is going to piss some people off” - the better it does.
If your butt cheeks aren’t puckered up just a bit when you float something out there - then you’re not putting yourself in the position to grow.
Life rewards boldness - there is genius in boldness.
Now - I’m not saying to go out there and try to be what X is. And I’m definitely not saying going out there and try to shock the hell out of people for the sake of it.
You need to find your edge and you need to know the people you want to do business with (and the people you don’t want to do business with).
X
Adwords 180
This isn’t a new product and I came close to some of what it teaches in the Black Book DVDs.
The basic concept is that instead of site targeting - you can PAGE target. This gives YOU much greater control over where your ad appears and you can write your ads specifically for the page.
Although the price on Adwords 180 might be a bit high for what you’re getting - this is an info-product that could be boiled down to about 20 pages - I appreciate high quality information being limited by asking a higher price (see my own products).
Now - while Adwords 180 is a great idea, to really take it from a “good idea” to a feasible strategy, you also want to pickup Adwords 180 Scanner. Basically this software, created by Anthony Stai, finds all of the pages for a specific keyword phrase that have Adsense on them. Without this software, the job of finding this pages is too tedious for me - with it, it’s a lot of fun (and I’ve been able to easily teach my outsourced help how to do the work for me).
A key tip - since I use the CPM model - is to only select the sites with ads ABOVE the fold - ie, ads are visible on the page without the visitor scrolling.
To take this approach to an “X” level, I’ve been targeting pages specifically promoting my competitors products and then clearly stating my USP in the ads. In other words, people are finding pages about my competitors product and I’m creating enough doubt in their mind with my ad that they HAVE TO check out my product - it’s classic “Don’t Buy XYZ Until After You Try This Free Demo”.
I have not tried image ads yet, but that’s the next step.
Man . . . it feels good to do some real marketing where I get to kick someone’s ass (and make money doing it).
X
Wicked Affiliate Spy Shit For Dudes Who Wear Black
Nine months ago, give or take a month or three, I wrote the most successful seller of software in the Internet marketing niche asking him if his existing software could do some wicked affiliate spy shit.
He wrote me back . . . “Cool idea. I’ll see what I can do.”
And that was that. Until about a month ago when I happen onto rumor from a covert conversation and discovered the guy took my idea and ran with it (big time).
Settle down and drop your guard amigo . . . this isn’t a sales pitch. I don’t have to “sell” this. I’ve used the software for a few weeks - it’s ass kicking cool and I recommend anyone doing anything involving affiliates get it - if you’re an affiliate marketer, get it; if you have affiliates who sell stuff for you, get it.
Got it?
Now, what really impresses me about this guy - and it’s something to consider seriously - is that his previous software releases have been at the TOP of Clickbank for over a year. You don’t sell crap and achieve that. And you don’t sell stuff easily gotten elsewhere and achieve that either. He delivers great products, supports them second to none, and keeps working on them until they’re as close to perfect as you’re going to get.
In this “wham bam thank maam, ha ha, I just fleeced these chumps again” niche, who doesn’t own a product created by Brad Callen?
The guy just creates quality product and if you’re as serious as I know you are, then you want to check out his next offer:
What you’ll find cool there right now is that Brad has already created and is making available a complete (and extremely comprehensive) training center - whether you buy the product or not (and another one of his secrets for staying at the top Clickbank).
Do I need to spell that out more clearly? . . . Sure, guys like Filsaime and Brunson can generate big enough buzz to get to the top for a few days or weeks - but this guy, without the hype, knows how to get to the top and stay there. The guy deserves his props.
OK - I have 2 hours to do all the work I’m going to do today and I’ve just spent 20 minutes of that typing up this note.
X
Tell Me What You Want
The market seems depressed with the new copycat junk promising to be something close to what you’d expect from his X-ness.
Obviously, there is such demand for my material people are willing to buy junk as a substitute fix.
Right now, I’m writing a new Book. And It will probably be my last effort in the IM niche - serious. You’ve probably noticed I’m writing here less - there’s a reason for that.
Because this next Book will be a major mark on my legacy, it has to rival the epic magnitude the Adwords Black Book achieved.
The new book will focus on working the affiliate marketing game - and I want to know what you want to know, so tell me.
Like I said, I’m ready to move on to other things - this is one last shot at picking my brain.
X
Sal The Site Stealer
For the money, this Site Stealer is a great product. Of course, it’s a swipe off some of my stuff but it’s not the first and at least it’s good.
What really chaps my ass is this . . .
OK, instead of ass chapping, let’s learn something.
I bought Site Stealer – happy with that product, no problems.
And I went for the upsell, the resale rights . . . see, I might as well make a little dough off this, eh?
Well, I just got to sorting through all of this with a plan to capitalize on it – not just to make a little money selling it, because the market is probably already near saturated on this one, but to use it as a front-end generator that leads people into the IMXFiles.
But this is what I call a shit resale product and here’s why –
The way the deal is setup, sure, I make the money – but everyone who buys HAS to end up on Harris’ mailing list.
Now, on Harris’ part – that’s smart. So he makes a bunch of extra money selling resale rights and then for anyone who actually sells his product he also gets those BUYERS on his list and you can be sure that the free 30 minute call he’s offering in his package is an opp to get MY customers on the phone to sell them something with a much bigger price tag on it.
A lot of marketer’s might be happy to do this – to make a few bucks on the front end product without giving any thought to the backend of it.
For me, the product – my investment – is money pissed down the toilet . . . not really, I’ll make this work to my advantage but I didn’t want to think that hard today.
So here’s the scheme . . . take it and use it.
- Sell product
- After sale, offer resale rights
- When resale rights owner makes sale, force his customers through YOUR name squeeze to build YOUR list.
- After forcing customer through name squeeze, offer HIM resale rights.
This really is a brilliant approach, even if I feel ripped off in the process and I’ll never buy another resale rights product from “Sal”.
