Offline Gold: it's AMAZING what HASN'T changed

5 replies
5 years ago now I wrote the first Offline Gold report Offline Gold
For The Online Marketer and started teaching internet marketers
how to sell their services to brick and mortar businesses.

To put my understanding of this niche in perspective
over those 5 years I've probably taught more internet marketers
in this niche than anyone else (OfflineBiz.com alone has over
10,000 members).

5 years ago these strategies were effective for most businesses:
# Email marketing
# Quality targeted content on a website
# Getting listed on sites like Google Maps
# Using external sites like youtube, online press releases,
social media sites to start or build relationships then drive
those people onto an email list and into other communication
channels.

Now these strategies are effective for most businesses:
# Using QR codes to get prospects or clients with a
mobile phone or device onto a website or onto an email list.
# Email marketing
# Quality targeted content on a website
# Getting listed on sites like Google Maps
# Using external sites like youtube, online press releases,
social media sites to start or build relationships then drive
those people onto an email list and into other communication
channels.


So now we have mobile devices. And yes sites like facebook
and even twitter have become more substantial forms of
marketing.

But the foundations haven't really changed.

If you were focusing on helping businesses build relationships
with prospects and clients 5 years ago you would have found
it fairly easy to adapt.



Even more interesting is that the most effective ways of getting
paying clients haven't changed a whole lot either.

More business owners are actively online now although a lot of
the time it's on sites like Facebook (and believe it or not many
businesses STILL don't have the basics like a website and an
email list).

There are now some people getting some clients from
online enquiries off their websites and forums etc.

If you want paying clients it's still most effective to talk to
business owners in some way.

And these initial contact methods still seem to work best:
# Talking to business owners you know
# Referrals (a referral from another business owner can be
especially powerful).
# Direct mail
# Telephone
# Business networking meetings
# Following up in multiple ways with business owners you've
already had some kind of contact. (This is a huge key that
can bring you a wealth of paying clients and high quality
referrals over time if you do it well.)


I haven't listed everything here but the news is good for internet
marketers who want to make a good living helping local businesses.

Business owners are still looking for help to make more sales and profits
using the internet...in most cases more than ever.

And if you supply a solution that hands off for them...in other words
you do everything for them...they're going to love you even more.

Many business owners now see the value in hiring you for multiple
services...website and quality content, email marketing, Google Maps
listings and optimization, Facebook marketing etc etc.

If you have an internet marketing skill you can probably use it to
help some businesses make more sales and profits.

And they'll pay you to do it.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

P.S. What changes have you seen in the time you've been working with
offline businesses and what has stayed constant?
#amazing #changed #gold #offline
  • Profile picture of the author boatree
    Andrew,

    Thanks for your insightful post. It is very relevant for someone like me who is just about to start, and have wondered how much the industry has changed from 5 years ago, when the profitability of this model was compared to like "shooting fish in a barrel".

    Off the back of this, can I ask you the following questions:

    1. How much would you say competition has risen over the last 5 years?

    2. Do you think prices for IM related services offered have increased, decreased or remained consistent?

    3. Have business owners become smarter and started to clue into ideas over the last 5 years? ideas like how much money they can save doing their own hosting versus paying us $100 per month, or outsourcing work for cheap overseas instead of using our services and things of this nature?

    Thanks,
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7592973].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      "1. How much would you say competition has risen over the last 5 years?"

      That would depend on what service you're selling, what kinds of
      businesses you're selling the service to and what area you're in.

      For marketers with a serious focus on producing real sales and profits
      for a business very little has changed in terms of competition in
      most areas.

      Competition is rarely an issue for people who are willing to really take
      the time to get to know business owners and their business and look
      for innovative ways to help them make more money.

      That sets you apart from anyone else they talk to.


      "2. Do you think prices for IM related services offered have increased, decreased or remained consistent?"

      I haven't seen much change as long as you're taking the time to
      establish the dollar value of your service before you start talking
      about price.

      Generally speaking businesses have a price range they're comfortable
      with and that's usually related to the kinds of checks they're used
      to writing in week to week business.

      If you're letting your service be seen as a commodity it's always been
      hard to get paid anything substantial and it always will be.

      If you're providing customized solutions and establishing their potential
      dollar value to clients before comparing that to the price you'll charge
      then you should be charging some good fees.


      "3. Have business owners become smarter and started to clue into ideas over the last 5 years? ideas like how much money they can save doing their own hosting versus paying us $100 per month, or outsourcing work for cheap overseas instead of using our services and things of this nature?"

      Not really.

      First of all if you're ongoing fee is based on website hosting you're
      probably doing yourself and your client a disservice.

      Many consultants are now charging much more in ongoing fees and
      giving more in return (for example with Facebook marketing, youtube
      videos or whatever other service can help bring in ongoing business).

      The advantage of charging ongoing fees is your business can become
      more stable over time.

      If you have 10 clients paying you $500 a month that's a substantial
      income.

      The disadvantage is you can get tied to clients you picked up early
      in your business who pay much less than you now charge or clients
      you don't really want any more (you get better at picking who will
      be good clients over time).


      On the topic of business owners becoming smarter that's not really
      the case.

      I don't know of any of them outsourcing overseas.

      It is more common now for them to talk about having a relative doing
      facebook or setting up a wordpress blog for them.

      Thus it becomes even more important to ask intelligent, profit based
      questions about their business so they see that what you're offering
      is in a whole different class...you're going to bring them in real sales
      and profits...not just put a facebook page up or a blog up.


      I guess your questions have underlined my point about things not
      changing.

      Even more now the whole business hinges on the relationships you
      build with business owners and back when I wrote the first Offline
      Gold report that's what it was really about...how to build those
      relationships.


      One final point:

      Providing internet marketing services to small and medium sized
      businesses is one of the largest business niches in the world and
      it is going to keep growing for a long, long time to come.

      I've seen so many people over the years go from zero to substantial
      incomes.

      Also most of the things you worry about are not going to be issues.

      This business really still is just a matter of going and talking to
      business owners.

      And you can do that today.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7593050].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author boatree
        Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

        "1. How much would you say competition has risen over the last 5 years?"

        That would depend on what service you're selling, what kinds of
        businesses you're selling the service to and what area you're in.

        For marketers with a serious focus on producing real sales and profits
        for a business very little has changed in terms of competition in
        most areas.

        Competition is rarely an issue for people who are willing to really take
        the time to get to know business owners and their business and look
        for innovative ways to help them make more money.

        That sets you apart from anyone else they talk to.


        "2. Do you think prices for IM related services offered have increased, decreased or remained consistent?"

        I haven't seen much change as long as you're taking the time to
        establish the dollar value of your service before you start talking
        about price.

        Generally speaking businesses have a price range they're comfortable
        with and that's usually related to the kinds of checks they're used
        to writing in week to week business.

        If you're letting your service be seen as a commodity it's always been
        hard to get paid anything substantial and it always will be.

        If you're providing customized solutions and establishing their potential
        dollar value to clients before comparing that to the price you'll charge
        then you should be charging some good fees.


        "3. Have business owners become smarter and started to clue into ideas over the last 5 years? ideas like how much money they can save doing their own hosting versus paying us $100 per month, or outsourcing work for cheap overseas instead of using our services and things of this nature?"

        Not really.

        First of all if you're ongoing fee is based on website hosting you're
        probably doing yourself and your client a disservice.

        Many consultants are now charging much more in ongoing fees and
        giving more in return (for example with Facebook marketing, youtube
        videos or whatever other service can help bring in ongoing business).

        The advantage of charging ongoing fees is your business can become
        more stable over time.

        If you have 10 clients paying you $500 a month that's a substantial
        income.

        The disadvantage is you can get tied to clients you picked up early
        in your business who pay much less than you now charge or clients
        you don't really want any more (you get better at picking who will
        be good clients over time).


        On the topic of business owners becoming smarter that's not really
        the case.

        I don't know of any of them outsourcing overseas.

        It is more common now for them to talk about having a relative doing
        facebook or setting up a wordpress blog for them.

        Thus it becomes even more important to ask intelligent, profit based
        questions about their business so they see that what you're offering
        is in a whole different class...you're going to bring them in real sales
        and profits...not just put a facebook page up or a blog up.


        I guess your questions have underlined my point about things not
        changing.

        Even more now the whole business hinges on the relationships you
        build with business owners and back when I wrote the first Offline
        Gold report that's what it was really about...how to build those
        relationships.


        One final point:

        Providing internet marketing services to small and medium sized
        businesses is one of the largest business niches in the world and
        it is going to keep growing for a long, long time to come.

        I've seen so many people over the years go from zero to substantial
        incomes.

        Also most of the things you worry about are not going to be issues.

        This business really still is just a matter of going and talking to
        business owners.

        And you can do that today.

        Kindest regards,
        Andrew Cavanagh
        Many thanks for the detailed feedback Andrew.

        Out of all the internet marketing ideas I have researched into, going offline seems to offer the fastest road in replacing a full time income, as long as you are willing to work hard and do the grunt Business 2 Business sales work.

        An excellent model and will be starting to map out clients to cold call/email market to/send postcards to etc.

        Thanks again,
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7593806].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
          If it's at all possible the fastest way to get hired is to
          talk to business owners you already know and better
          still get referrals to business owners.

          It's amazing who the people you know might know and
          who will be willing to recommend you.

          A referral from one business owner to another is so
          powerful there's even a good argument to be made for
          intentionally contacting business owners with the simple
          goal of asking who they know who might benefit from
          your services.

          Kindest regards,
          Andrew Cavanagh
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7593958].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Trends come and go, but principles endure and transcend every fad.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7595735].message }}

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