Genius or Just Plain CRAZY

[nicholasb]

I am in the process of creating a free membership site that outlines the exact method I used to build my online business,

i was going to offer coaching and consulting through phone and email, all free

I understand that this will probably take a large portion of my day not leaving much room for work, but if I am helping people become successful my life will be more fulfilled.

Although I wont be making to much money at first I will have coached a few super affiliates,

So while all this is going on I am building my list and creating my own products.

Then I plan to create a membership site which will not be free but I will let all of my top coaching students join the site for free, so they can promote my products, and the site while building themselves a residual income by promoting the membership site.

So by the time my paid membership site is done I will have an army of affiliates who are already making money internet marketing, Let them in my paid membership site free and explode my business, while they learn to do the exact same thing.

Genius - Or Crazy

I know that I might just end up offering free coaching and never make a penny with this Idea, but I already have a stable residual income built up and a profitable offline business,

What do you think?

[natedamm]

That sounds like a pretty good plan to me if you can afford to do it. I like the way you are thinking long term.

[Louis Raven]

100% CRAZY!

I think you need a reality check. People take advantage in this day and age and you will not be fulfilled. In my honest opinion.

Louis

[nicholasb]

I like the input so far 50/50 but being told im crazy just motivates me more.

[Jared Alberghini]

My advice... give away 50% of your knowledge/content, and sell 50%... like personal coaching ... your time is valuable.

You are on the right track tho... giving away something of value is the best way to build your business...and gain authority... just make sure you have a way to monetize the free viral traffic.

- Jared

[nicholasb]

oh yeah!!! there is some monetization involved, but just for joining the free site they will know everything they need to know to make money, plus they are on my list and are interested in making money online cant go wrong there.

[Louis Raven]

I wasn't trying to insult you mate.

Originally Posted by nicholasb

Genius - Or Crazy

What do you think?

You asked lol

[JOhnny Depth]

That is the craziest thing I have heard. Why are you planning to have it for free anyway?

[nicholasb]

Originally Posted by Louis Raven

I wasn't trying to insult you mate.



You asked lol

Oh I know you wern't insulting me.. For some reason when some one calls my ideas crazy I get really excited, and motivated, and begin getting work done like crazy.

Actually I thank you

[nicholasb]

Originally Posted by JOhnny Depth

That is the craziest thing I have heard. Why are you planning to have it for free anyway?

To build trust and a name that can create and sell my second membership site for a really high price like frank kern. Not a site like his but the monthly price of 297

i figure if I can coach 50 people to super affiliate status free, buy the time all of my products are ready and my paid membership site is up, I will have 50 super affiliates ready to promote it at the drop of a hat.

I will have 50 awesome testimonials and a reputation that makes people money.

[DrexV]

While your reasoning behind your idea sounds admirable, you might want to consider limiting the amount of sign-ups. Otherwise you may become overwhelmed, I mean consider the possibility several hundred or more people signing up. And then trying to answer all the questions that are almost assuredly going to flood your email. Not to mention all the requests that your going to get for one on one coaching from individuals. There is no reason that if after your first group of sign-ups are successfully "graduated", that you can't offer your training again. Just something to consider.

[Habitat]

It could possibly pay off. But you're trusting the good of people a little too much

[nicholasb]

Well I figured once I reached my peak of phone calls and emails I could handle with one on ones

I could hold weekly conference calls so I could address major issues or just do some Q & A

[jayden.fellze]

It is very nice of you to be thinking of helping others to build up an online business free of cost. It looks well planned and if executed according to your design, should work out very nicely. But also beware that you dont lose what you earn through this online business. People should not take advantage of your plan and you should not be at the losing end for having taken up this "utopic" project.

[Jeremy Gatica]

Sounds like a great idea, but I would say your crazy.

I wish you the best of luck with this idea, as crazy as it is.

But then again sometimes it takes a crazy idea to bring about a genius plan.

Jeremy

[Jim Pearson]

Your premise is good. Membership-club-group programs can be very profitable when managed correctly...but they can quickly become a burden if not controlled.

Having grown an internal private client based group(off -line) to 350 million in sales over a six year period. I can personally say that private membership based marketing programs work well.

That being said you might think about tightening up your sturcture. Here are some suggestions you might want to consider;

1) Require the prospective members to be qualified for membership. The methods can vary, for example you might require all prospective members to fill out a short application or be sponsered my another member or just pay a small fee.

2) Restrict access to youself so that members can't always reach you. This will make them want your services even more. For example only respond to emails Mon. to Thur. 8-4

3) Offer three levels of initial membership a) Free with only email access, B) Paid with email access and a 15 minute laser call once a month & C) Mastermind with all of the above and a 2 hour mastermind group call. You then could give samples of your higher level offerings with free tele-seminars to free or non-members.

4) Restrict your phone access to only laser call in days. If you don't you will not be able to handle more than 100-125 members. 125 members does not build a large list. Remember you will have quite a bit of left messages if you let people call you directly.

5) Before you launch and spend to much time Survey your existing prospect list and ask them this one question...What are the top 3 problems you face in your buinsess right now...that you need help on. This is where you will spend the most of your time in your membership site and with the feee informational products you produce.

If you have a 3 to 4 level intitial membership site with some kind of qualifying structure in place up front. You will have put into place a process that will screen and help decide who will be your key affiliates without as much one-on-one work.

I hoped this was helpfull.

Oh by the way I have just finished building a membership site ( non-competing niche) with my partner which is in the pre-launch stage(launching Jan 2009).

If you would like contact me privately and we can talk further...

[nicholasb]

Thanks jim great advice

[jacstone193]

admirable - but I would consider making it a payment site by monthly subscriptions - maybe ?

[AskJesusLeon]

Yeah, I wouldnt give it all away for free, some yes, but not all of it. Good Luck whichever way you decide to go

[Tony M.]

First of all it's tough to coach 50 people on the phone regularly, second of all, you're going to end up with a lot of not-so-motivated people.
Like, out of the 50, you might only get 5 people who would be really committed and efficient - and those guys would have become efficient superaffiliates anyway.

I don't think it's a clever use of your time. Try thinking about a system that gives away value to more people AND takes less from you.

See Ed Dale's challenge for an instance of this.

[kj95100]

Originally Posted by nicholasb

I am in the process of creating a free membership site that outlines the exact method I used to build my online business,

i was going to offer coaching and consulting through phone and email, all free

I understand that this will probably take a large portion of my day not leaving much room for work, but if I am helping people become successful my life will be more fulfilled.

Although I wont be making to much money at first I will have coached a few super affiliates,

So while all this is going on I am building my list and creating my own products.

Then I plan to create a membership site which will not be free but I will let all of my top coaching students join the site for free, so they can promote my products, and the site while building themselves a residual income by promoting the membership site.

So by the time my paid membership site is done I will have an army of affiliates who are already making money internet marketing, Let them in my paid membership site free and explode my business, while they learn to do the exact same thing.

Genius - Or Crazy

I know that I might just end up offering free coaching and never make a penny with this Idea, but I already have a stable residual income built up and a profitable offline business,

What do you think?

Zig Ziglar said, "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

I believe him, so I am leaning towards Genius...

The question you will need to answer ... how many people will be enough for you to effectively help?

I trust you have an answer.

You can never go wrong offering help to those that need it...

Kelly