My Offline Plan To Make $1000

Sounds like a decent plan, but I'm not sure I would actually want to promote the site a bunch for $1,000 a month.

Also, most of the owners were probably there Business owners do a pretty good job of training their "gate keepers" to keep them safe from sales people. This is where you have to kind of feel the keeper out and possibly even make a few trips back. Usually on the second trip in, leave a little bit of literature explaining what you do with a card or a way to contact you. If the owner is still "never there" then they probably are not interested.

hmm, thanks Jeremy I wonder now if I should start cold calling the businesses in the area.

Business will not join until you can show them real world results. If you can type in real search phrases and show your site ranking then you might be able to sell them on an advertising opportunity.

Until you can do that all you have is an idea. And a business will not buy into an idea without proof.

You are not reinventing the wheel here... you are doing something that many are already doing. Can you do it better?

I think the plan is solid and could be done, but here is what I think!

10 x $30 is only $300 a month. It is tough to sell services to offline business owners and trying to get 10 will be a tough job first time around (I am assuming you haven't sold your services to biz owners before?)

It is much easier to sign one business owner up for SEO at $300+ a month. Sign 10 up like this and that $300 a month turns into $3,000 a month!

Its much easier to sign 1 up than 10! Just a thought. I know selling portal positions is one of the toughest things to do having done it myself and businesses now realise the importance of SEO and independent website SEO!

This may be a different angle to yours but I believe it would be an easier option!

Your plan sounds solid though and I am sure you can do it!

GoGetta

I think GoGetta has a very good plan. SEO would be an easier way to make money.

Hi Cory,

Your overall plan is a good one.

I've done that and it works.

Here are some drawbacks to watch out for.

What I'm talking about here is fact, it happened to me.

I signed up my first few customers and one day I got a phone call from my very first customer. Here is what he said.

"Hey George take me off your site." My heart sank, I said "You don't like my service?" He said, I like it fine but I don't like XXXXXXX (Naming one of my customers that was also on the directory) I don't want to be associated with him on the same website, being on the same website with him associates me with low quality."

In reality the person he was talking about was one of the best in the area. The first customer had just had a bad experience with his service.

I didn't lose him as a customer I just put up a separate "Directory" (website) and he is the only one on it and that suits him just fine.

That couldn't happen twice, right? Wrong

Not long after that happened I got a call from the very same person that the first customer was talking about and he basically told me the same thing about another business. Same results, he had his "separate" directory created for him.

Being on the same site/directory with others is a very personal thing to offliners. It's not like them all being in the yellow pages together, being on the same web page they feel like they are living together in some little room on the internet. We do call it a "portal" or a "door way."

The other thing to look out for is calling it the best should be based on something. Not just the fact that they are willing to pay for the position of best.

I'm still working on how to do that and would love to share ideas on that subject. I was thinking of simply going with a poll and letting the people decide who is the best. Then after the buzz started sell ad space to complementary business not competitors.

Just one idea, "People in our town say Joes Auto Dealership is the best in town." Now sell ad space to Pete's tire shop, Bob's car wash, Jane's auto detailing. All on Joes Auto Dealership page. Just a thought.

I have www.TheBestPizzaInAmerica.com I have An idea generating mindmap on it. Hopefully I'll come up with some concrete ideas befor the 100+ domain names all come due at once LOL.

My best on your project, keep us posted.
George Wright