PositiveVibe

I just came off a Skype chat with my friend who has recently set off travelling the world and is currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

He spent a lot of months saving before he went, so he's got a decent amount of cash but he wants to earn money through the internet while he is away, to extend his trip.

Luckily for him I was able to help. You see, I've been honing my new free give-away technique on Linked In, which has allowed me to bulid a significant monthly risudual, without cold calling! It has become so successful over the past few months that I am now about to make this strategy my primary focus because my goal from the outset has been to create a business that I can allow to run on autopilot, and this looks like it is going to do the trick.

So since I helped out Stu, I thought to myself this might be a good time to give something back to the community that has helped me leave my day job and work for myself full time for the past 8 months

So, for those who are unfamiliar, Linked In is the Business Facebook. There are around 115m users, a large number of whom are business owners. If you have ever been disappointed with the response you got from a direct mail or email campaign, you are going to be blown away by Linked In. Business owners will gladly speak to you, and best of all... NO GATEKEEPERS.

Without babbling on too much further, allow me to share the technique:

1. Create a fully fleshed out, 100% complete Linked In profile.

2. On Linked In, there are groups for every niche. Choose some Niches and join some groups. Try to choose groups with larger numbers of members.

3. Once in the groups select the "members" tab and filter to owners by entering something like "owner" or "director" into the search bar.

4. When you have done this you will now be looking at a list of potentially thousands of owners. Its time to make contact and you can do this by hovering your mouse over their entry and selecting the "send message" option

5. Before this though, you want to check out some profiles and find guys that either have no website or one that looks really crappy.

6. You now have a direct line of communication to the owner of said business, which could badly do with a new website. You are about to offer them something of great value free of charge, remember to make your first message conversational. Don't be spammy. Say hello, introduce yourself as a web designer who is looking to garner some recommendations, offer to do a website for their business with absolutely no charge for the design and development fee. Ask if they know anyone who this would benefit.

I usually send out about 50 messages in the early evening time. When I wake up the next day my inbox is usually bursting with all kinds of responses. Often you will get up to 10 people who want to take you up on the offer.

7. At this stage its up to you how much work you want to take on but what I do here is use the most simplistic but sharp looking Wordpress theme I can find (inkthemes or headway all the way for me) and rework some of the websites of those who have asked for help, and show them to the owner.

8. At this stage you will be heralded as a hero as long as the site looks fairly decent and its here that I like to get on the phone to the customer and build the value a bit more, explaining that they are saving themselves £800+ on design fees etc etc.

9. I then go on to telling them that the only thing I ask is that they allow me to host and maintain the site for a small fee of £35 per month. As long as you have done everything correctly and built the value of the site with the customer, you will have no problem at this stage.

Obviously not every customer goes for it, but the majority really don't mind the fee, because they are getting something HUGE that their business NEEDS and they are not paying for it.. The monthly fee is really insignificant, less than people pay for Sky TV over here. This is something their business needs to function properly.

10. Rinse and repeat this formula.

If you look at the Math, give away 5 free websites a week and you will be £700 a month after month one. £1400 after month 2. £4200 per month after 6 months.

I'd like to point out I'm not a technical whizz, I have a Hostgator package that allows me to host for the client and I use extremely simple but smart wordpress themes.

Anyone can do this.

The wordpress themes take me no more than an hour to set up and I have been doing this myself up until now because there isn't any substantial front end cash.

Going forward I intend to outsource most of this.

If you have any questions please feel free to holla at me and if you found this useful, please feel free to hit the thanks button :-)

**Edit: Wanted to add some proof the bottom of this post, so that first time readers can get some encouragement and hopefully more people will take action!

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

Michael Parks

I really like this method. Working with business owners by making connections with them online can have huge potential. Keep up the good work and thanks for the motivation!

Dream Big. Start Small.

JillBryant

Wonderful,It is really a good way.

Richard Tunnah

Clever stuff and I have posted before about giving something free stuff (reports/service) to business owners on linkedin to get something in return (usually them to buy your product or service).
I'm pleased more people are starting to see the power of linkedin.

Rich

Pobody

Thanks for this. I was thinking similarly myself but you've helped me to flesh out my thoughts a bit more.

I do have a question though: what do you do if the business owners request tweaks to the website to an extent not allowed by the theme options (I can't do CSS/PHP/whatever it is)?

(Also, how do I thank you for your post? Can't see any large obvious buttons...)

PositiveVibe

Good question. Its important to remember what you are offering is a freebie, so don't overthink these types of things. Of course if a customer is going to be paying you £800-£1000 for a site, your gonna need to be able to provide a bespoke design but when your doing them this kind of favour, a nice sharp looking template is perfect.

You'll get speaking to all different types of people, some are nice some are not so nice. I personally pick carefully who I work with on this, just focus on the guys who are extremely grateful and really friendly. You won't go far wrong

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

coredesign

Well, how much response do you get usually? How much they keep you busy whole week? And how much you are earning after giving them some free work?

Also, I know PHP, CSS, MySql, Joomla, Drupal so how it would be useful for me?

I am sorry if I have blasted questions on you.

rachelle123

Also you are initially telling them your giving them a website for free. no strings attached.. (I know we mean just programming and design, not hosting) but what do you say to the customer when they ask you this? Also when they say no to hosting do you still give them the site and let them host it themselves?

Anthony

Thanks. I have always thought of using this as another stream of making some income. Now that I read your thread, I think I will give it a try...

PositiveVibe

The response rate is great. I would find it hard to put a percentage on it but if I send 50 messages I generally get between 10-20 responses and 5-10 good responses you can run with.

Yes you will absolutely get high maintenance people who want to take up all your time, but I weed them out at the start. You can see them coming a mile off

If someone comes across as potentially problematic just apologise and tell them you are unable to help because you have already taken on your quota of work.

You can establish this so easily at the start by gathering the content for the new site.

1. If someone has a website currently and the content is fairly easy to extract, just ask them if its cool to use that. This is the ideal scenario.

2. If they don't have a website or their current website is such a mess that you cannot decipher what they want their website to say, ask them to provide you with a word document with the content.

I've found that if they are not willing to invest some time in putting together a word document, and expect you to do absolutely everything, they are not serious enough or want you to perform miracles for them.

Either way, cut them loose

I would say your web design skills would be an asset. I personally don't have any webdesign skills and do fine, but it can only help

As for costs, as I said I charge £35 per month.

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

J smith

Nice way of using linkedin.

But a question for your business model. What would you do if the accounts got hacked? I mean, that's always a possibility with a wordpress based sites. Especially if you have a whole bunch of them which increases the possibility that some will have a none up to date version of plug ins or wordpress itself.

Hosting is a nice model (I mean, can't get any more "passive" income than that) but the "What if" scenarios always scared me.

PositiveVibe

I'm offering them a really nice website, I build it up quickly for those who are really keen and I explain there is a hosting cost before it goes live for them.

Sometimes people do say no to the hosting cost. Depends on how nice they are whether they actually get the site that is sitting there ready to go

You've got to remember, most people have no clue about hosting so if they like the site, allowing you to host it and keep it up to date is a no brainer for them.

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

PositiveVibe

I use WPTwin and have backups of all my sites. If one was to get hacked, I would restore it and move forward

I don't try to worry about that sort of thing too much, don't let the hackers win

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

J smith

Wptwin looks pretty awesome for this sort of stuff. What do you use to make back ups? Or do you do it manually?

You are right, I should stop worrying, but I don't want to be in a situation where I have to tell a client I haven't got a clue how to fix some problem.

PositiveVibe

WPTwin for backup and cloning

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

wings2341

How long does it take for you to filter through the owners and message each on a personal level. I would imagine it would take a long time to do this if your doing 50 a day. Is there a way to mass message them?

jonnyq888

This is great stuff. Thanks for sharing! I can think of a number of ways that you can add some backend services to this model.

PositiveVibe

Absolutely

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

PositiveVibe

About an hour or so?

You can't mass message, no.

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

JBroyer44

Man i have to get on linked in. I mean I ahve a profile on their but never use it.

SO would your email say you will build them a new site free but just require a $35/mo hosting and maintenance fee before you make it go live? What I mean is that stated in the opening email?

sdentrepreneur

I have been active LinkedIn user for year. I would tread lightly on messaging 50 people per day, even if you are giving something away for free. LinkedIn is a very professional Social Network and will not tolerate people scraping through groups and messaging people. You will eventually get shut down.
Here is how I use LinkedIn, I first use it as my own online resume and send potential business owners my LinkedIn profile if they need any recommendations of my services.
When I do find a business owner/decision maker I want to connect with. I will engage them in a conversation and build a relationship with them. If they are local, I will meet them for coffee, lunch or happy hour ;-)
You can play a much bigger game on LinkedIn IMO

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PositiveVibe

Sorry, to be clear here, I didn't ever say to do 50 messages a day.

More than anything else, you would be completely overwhelmed by the response, you would never have time to deal with that level of enquiry.

50 once a week is more than enough to keep me real busy.

So far I've had no issues with this

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

JBroyer44

That right there is how you land the big fish James, and what I would like to use Linkedin for.

kymobilemedia

This seems like a great method and model to follow.

What do you think about calling local businesses, say that you are a new web designer starting out, and would like to build them a site with no design cost?

Then introduce the monthly feefor hosting and maintenance.

I am getting ready to start calling around my area using the pdf that was given here saying to call and say "I am a new web designer in town, and I am now open for business. Do you have a website, or planning any web projects? (or similar)"

But that model points to a design cost.

I wonder if this would work better for small businesses that only need a few pages of content, and minimal changes.

I could give these sites away (design and domain free), and I would think I would get more business this way.

Then, after I get some clients under my belt, start charging design cost....


What do you think?


Also, if they stop paying for the maintenance, do you take the site down since it is in your hosting account and the domain belongs to you?

Thanks
Jason

rachelle123

Do you still give them the site if they don't want to host with you?

Danielm

I would be cautious with the idea that small businesses only want a few pages and a quick template with no changes. I know it gets pushed in the WSO forum all the time but from what I've seen of local clients they like changes, revisions, etc, and just adding their name and a photo to a stock template isn't that amazing in 2011.

Jeremy James

How much does it cost to get a full, flashy (with ability to send InMail) profile on LinkedIn?

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agonce

yeah , I assume you will get those clients who always look to get a lot for very cheap. Unless you specify that you will charge based on updates, ie 4 or more updates cost this much, and so on, these clients will be pain in the butt.

Also, I joined 2-3 groups on linkedIn but when I searched for 'owner' all I got was owners of marketing, web design and other kind of online marketing companies. I was not able to find many local B&M store owners. am I doing something wrong?

AB

Mike Grant

To those that say no, send them to Host Gator with an affiliate link. It'll be cheaper for them, so the barrier of entry is much lower, but you'll also get $50+ each.

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zoro

I guess you could use this business model for building Fan Pages too?

PositiveVibe

You can definitely do it by making phonecalls. It would probably speed up your progress somewhat as well.

Depends how nice they are

Yeah I guess you must be Myself and anyone else I've spoken to have never had any problems. Make sure you are searching in the 'members' tab and in the search box in the left hand side.

Great shout!

Definitely.

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

kymobilemedia

Do you have a sample web design contract that you are using for these clients? I need something that will outline that they get the design work free, and will be billed each month $35 for hosting and maintenance. Then, I will need to say that maintenance will cover very minimal changes to the site that take no longer than 1 hour per month, and have a set hourly rate for bigger changes they need.

Thanks

PositiveVibe

I just design the website using Ink Themes or Headway in the space of an hour then show them the finished article with their logo and all. Thats much more powerful than showing them examples

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

Richard Tunnah

It costs nothing to join and have a linkedin profile. However it costs to send inmail - upto $99 a month to send upto 25 inmails a month.

Rich

jonpaulm

Hi Positive,

You have a really good model going there. Would you mind sharing your opening email to the business owners?

All the best,

JP

arkhamindustries

Can you filter businesses by location with LinkedIn?

jonpaulm

What i have done in the past is look for a group with the ares in the title. to get it pin pointed to an area. However if you are looking for a gourd on an industry and then within in that looking for a location you can click on the members tab and then click advanced search if you scroll down you can search on location within the group.

Give that a try..

All the best

JP

reigovilbiks

how can you send 50 inmails a week if theres a 25 monthly limit?

unstoppableflow

sounds good...I never knew you could do this with linked in!

electronik69

Then you can up-sell them onto a local seo package after you have created the value!

If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative - David Ogilvy

electronik69

Yeah I want to ask the same thing, either your creating multiple accounts, or your connecting with the business owners, or is there a hidden way that we don't know about?

If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative - David Ogilvy

PositiveVibe

When you join a group, you can send unlimited number of mail to fellow group members. Its a very useful little trick

Absolutely!

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

electronik69

Oh I get it now!

Have you become a paying Linkedin member so you can search for there seniority level or do you just manually do it.

If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative - David Ogilvy

reigovilbiks

So the only cost for making these websites for you is paying for hosting and domain?

More Ideas

I've found that ^ to be the actual problem: people have no clue regarding hosting, they don't realise it's a separate cost to having the website built.

This is odd for those who already have websites, as they must have been paying someone for that, but either:

1) they've got their "web guy" who handles all that, and they don't notice/feel the $9.99 or whatever they're paying out each month;

or 2) they don't mind paying that ordinarily, but didn't expect to pay for it for a "free website".

massiveappeal

I really like your method and tried it myself... One issue I am having is that when I try to send a message to someone for a specific group it requires inmail... Do I need to upgrade my account or is there another way?

Thanks

PositiveVibe

You need to be sure you are sending the message via a group. If you are trying to use Inmail you are doing it wrong. Follow the instructions above and you will be fine

My brand new 2013 LinkedIn strategy is crushing it... For proof and more info *Click Here*

iamchrisgreen

HOLD ON ... HOLD ON ...

What kind of websites are you offering here??

rnjonjo

Chris,

it seems he's offering fully fleshed out WORDPRESS sites to the biz owners. I also see you have a LinkedIn WSO out there.

What is your experience on LinkedIn as regards to what the OP suggests here? Viable strategy or not?

Thanks.

katleo123

nice way