How A Clueless Rookie Makes Money Online

by Harlan
28 replies
My yoga teacher Sara doesn't know much about computers. In fact, if you asked her if she has a Mac or a PC, she'd probably have to ask me.

She can't download pictures from her camera to her PC without assistance.

Teaching her how to reply to an email was a challenge.

But she IS selling a DVD over the Internet and is at work on 2 other sets.

Remember, she has no internet skills or marketing savvy.

And I promise you, she has never bought an Internet marketing course in her life.

This is what she did.

She saw all the DVDs I offer in my office and thought of something that would help people that she knew about.

She chose Breathing because it is essential to yoga and there are many books and CDs on yogic breathing.

But there were no DVDs so she decided to create one.

Sara asked me the steps to create a DVD.

She found someone to video her on the beach. - $25.

She got that person to take the video and edit it and create a DVD. - $50

She had a very simple website done. It's costing her $4 a month.

She got someone to design the DVD case and a graphic for the top of her website - $35

She uploaded her DVD to Kunaki and got DVDs made for $1.85 each.

She started with 10 which was all she could afford and took them around to her yoga classes.

She sold out by taking a $1.85 DVD and turning it into a $39 product.

She took the profits and ordered more DVDs and sold them out again.

Every time she teaches a class, she has her DVD on display.

She has a nice little income stream from a tiny investment.

She is not an internet marketer. She is selling something she believes in. She likes selling her product to friends and people she knows and meets.

Once in a great while, I'll announce her product to my list and she'll have to scramble to keep up with the orders.

Now here's my point:

She doesn't over think things.

She didn't convince herself it was too expensive to create a product.

She didn't agonize for weeks to decide what niche to pick.

And she didn't buy a $1997 guru product teaching her how to do it all.

She just asked a few questions and voila.

She's got two more DVD products on the way including yoga for pregnancy and a video for an Abs workout.

Now imagine Sara was on the Warrior Forum... how much more money could she be making.

But she's not. :-(

But you are.

So turn your knowledge into money.

Just take action.

Peace,

Harlan
#clueless #makes #money #online #rookie
  • Profile picture of the author theemperor
    What can I say - truly inspiring. I love these stories! She did have the advantage of selling to her class, who obviously believe in her ability because they pay to be taught by her ... this make her an offline marketer too I guess :-)

    It's giving me ideas though... thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Sparhawke
    A great story

    Sums up the quote in my signature perfectly
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    “Thinking is easy, Acting is difficult
    And to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world ~ Goethe”
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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    simply by printing out this post and using it as a "model".

    Thanks Harlan for the step by step story.

    I see several takeaway's for the Internet Marketer here at the WF.

    ONE: IF you know something, TEACH IT. Almost all of us have a skill or talent or knowledge we could teach to others. On the "escalator" of Information Products, it is often the beginning and the end. Start teaching, record the lesson, market it.

    (In the "money where my mouth is" section)... I've taught golf for over 40 years. Mostly one to one. Then I did seminars, group lessons (like Harlan's Yoga instructor) and then put the lessons on cassettes, then CD's and expanded the line.

    TWO. So make a list of your talents and skills and think about what you could teach. Then, review the post and see the step-by-step instructions provided.

    You will sell your products to a "niche" or a group of people with a high passion index for the subject matter. IF you are already working in the field, whatever it is, then you probably already know where the devotee's hang out online.

    THREE. Keep it simple and use the technology, even if you are a pure technophobe. Let Kunaki and other like companies work for you.


    "So turn your knowledge into money. Just take action."

    ANYONE can bring a product to the market in less than 30 days, in fact, 30 days is way tooo long to take to make a product and begin to sell it. Thanks Harlan for the valuable lessons, I'm sure someone will make good use of them.

    gjabiz
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    • Profile picture of the author Harlan
      Originally Posted by gjabiz View Post

      "So turn your knowledge into money. Just take action."

      ANYONE can bring a product to the market in less than 30 days, in fact, 30 days is way tooo long to take to make a product and begin to sell it. Thanks Harlan for the valuable lessons, I'm sure someone will make good use of them.

      gjabiz
      And you are the master to learn from...
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      Harlan D. Kilstein Ed.D.
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  • Profile picture of the author tehnolife
    Banned
    Ok,I am happy for Sarah, because is not so called " Internet Marketer" and she made it!
    This shows to the people that to sell a product you don't need more than an idea! If you believe in that idea, you can make it! Everyone can make it! Many,many of the guys here , know just theory! But the theory will not make you money!!! You must apply what you learn, you must take action in order to success!
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    • Profile picture of the author Entreprenette
      Thanks Harlan, It's the simplicity of the story I love. I'm always 'over thinking' things and as a consequence get less done because I spend far too much time analysing whether it will work! I have a couple of products which I keep giving away free because I'm over analysing the sales process. This post has made me decide to just get out there and sell em!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Tygrupe
      Truly inspiring

      Most people do over think it-BUT I would say for a good reason because those people want to make the best product they can. There is a balance between over analyzing your product to make it the best you can (and risk inaction) and just pumping things out get them done (risk reputation).

      This just shows that most people are honest and have a conscience, so the best way is to streamline your approach with a defined limit.

      I use this method to get a product completed and out in the market in 7 days:

      • Day 1- Brainstorm idea/market research
      • Day 2- research and outline product, keyword research, order graphics, buy domain
      • Day 3- write content for product, outline video content
      • Day 4- record and produce content videos
      • Day 5- revisit and refine content if needed
      • Day 6- promo materials production- articles, press release, promo video
      • Day 7- distribute articles/videos, set up web 2.0 sites, buy social bookmarking backlinks to promo materials, buy directory submissions for backlinks to main site
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  • Profile picture of the author KatyaSenina
    Great, I love the part where you say "She doesn't over think things" and "She didn't agonize for weeks to decide what niche to pick"
    I think that's the part where most people get stuck...they think too much. They try to make everything perfect and at the end in the same place they were. I think you should really just do it, take risks and see where you get.
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    • Profile picture of the author countonuspr
      That is an awesome story that will hopefully inspire people! Action makes results in this game for sure. Even if you aren't doing it all 100% right. Such a small number of people take action so very little happens for them. This is a great post!
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  • Profile picture of the author KatyaSenina
    Oops...misspelling. I meant they end up in the same place they were.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bicycle Cat
    See? If you have the right mindset, you can certainly earn money!
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  • Profile picture of the author Victoralexon
    It's interesting how many of us can learn something from someone that got much less knowledge than us.

    I think that sometimes we focus way too much on techniques and little things.
    While I'm sure that making small tweaks can make a huge difference in the long run, focusing on just helping people and caring seems to be the game winners.
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  • Profile picture of the author miorno
    Thanks for this. It's encouraging to see these success stories. I myself am not the greatest expert with computers either. My goal is to come up with some ideas that will help me make a living online.

    I like that she took the knowledge that she had and used it to help her become successful. When you're determined to promote something that you actually believe in people will see your enthusiasm...and that's contagious. It moves people to buy your product or service because they will know it's worth it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Harlan
      Originally Posted by miorno View Post

      Thanks for this. It's encouraging to see these success stories. I myself am not the greatest expert with computers either. My goal is to come up with some ideas that will help me make a living online.

      I like that she took the knowledge that she had and used it to help her become successful. When you're determined to promote something that you actually believe in people will see your enthusiasm...and that's contagious. It moves people to buy your product or service because they will know it's worth it.
      You don't need to be an expert. Just teach people something or solve a problem for them.
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      Harlan D. Kilstein Ed.D.
      Free NLP Communications Course at http://www.nlpcopywriting.com
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  • Profile picture of the author createyouwealth
    Thanks for this post. It is very encouraging and really gets you to take action and stop procrastinating, I have been logged in for a bit now and I see now that I need to work on my future project instead of spending so much time on this forum, its just addictive because you learn so much. All the best.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Peters Benn
    Harlan

    Great case study man, but please bring back some paragraph breaks in your posts, it makes my eyes go funny!
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    • Profile picture of the author Harlan
      Originally Posted by Steve Peters Benn View Post

      Harlan

      Great case study man, but please bring back some paragraph breaks in your posts, it makes my eyes go funny!
      It's actually quite intended. Not to make your eyes go funny but to encourage reading. John Carlton and I rarely do a paragraph longer than 2-3 sentences these days.
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      Harlan D. Kilstein Ed.D.
      Free NLP Communications Course at http://www.nlpcopywriting.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Duggan
    Brilliant stuff Harlan. She's to be applauded for her entrepreneurial spirit.

    The point you make about 'overthinking' is vitally important. I think we're all guilty of that at times, so it's crucial to remember it and make sure we just do it, then tweak and test as we go, rather than trying to be perfect first time.

    Thanks.

    Matt
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Action Action Action! Everybody's comments are exactly right on this. Better to take action before you have everything planned to perfection than to keep pondering. She's a marketer and didn't even know it... because it's mostly about your mindset.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author TimG
    Harlan,
    It is a great post and the steps are amazing in detail and yet simple enough for any one to follow. I also wanted to point out one thing - What a great person you were for helping provide some guidance when the time was right for her to accept it.

    Respectfully,
    Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author lilphilupt
    wow is all i have to say ,it's people like you that inspires alot of people to achieve there goals online, before i never made a dime online until recently i found what really fits me and now i'm making income online the warrior forum is a blessing
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Peters Benn
    You've always kept your paragraphs short - I think you told me about you and Carlton doing it a while back - which I shamelessly mentioned it in a sales letter about a year back!

    You've gotten worse since then though - now most paragraphs are just one sentence

    Come on admit it - it's hypnosis isn't it!

    Totally agree about the readability aspect though.

    (... gets out pad to write product on hypnotic math and copywriting...)
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    • Profile picture of the author webwriter
      Great story!

      That woman was determined to succeed and stayed focused from start to finish. What impressed me most was that she pursued her idea and got things done. It appears that she completed one task before beginning another, which was great.

      There's no telling what you can accomplish once you make up your mind. You just have to stay with it and keep going. As my graduate advisor once said, "Pursue, pursue, pursue!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Harlan
      Originally Posted by Steve Peters Benn View Post

      You've always kept your paragraphs short - I think you told me about you and Carlton doing it a while back - which I shamelessly mentioned it in a sales letter about a year back!

      You've gotten worse since then though - now most paragraphs are just one sentence

      Come on admit it - it's hypnosis isn't it!

      Totally agree about the readability aspect though.

      (... gets out pad to write product on hypnotic math and copywriting...)
      Well if your hypnotized, go buy something...
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      Harlan D. Kilstein Ed.D.
      Free NLP Communications Course at http://www.nlpcopywriting.com
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