After 20 Years Online, Here are the 6 Steps I've Used to Sell Tens of Thousands of eBooks

I've been online since 2001.

And I can say for sure, there are a lot of different ways to make money
online.

The 6 steps below are the ones I've used, again and again, to do VERY
well.

This is NOT meant to be a complete guide, but rather it just gives you
a brief outline of what I did, and what I often still do today when launching
products.

I'm not suggesting you'll make any money, but I can say that if you follow
these 6 steps, the likelihood increases GREATLY.

Again, this is not the ONLY way... as I'm sure some folks here have
done better, made more, and was able to do it faster and easier.

All I know is, if you're stuck... follow these 6 steps to get unstuck.

**** Step 1: Find a LOT of People and Help them Solve a BIG Problem***

I've learned that the true secret to making money online is
helping a LOT of people solve a problem.

So, step one is you need to find a large group of people who
have an urgent problem that they want solved.

Make sure there's a lot of people LOOKING for a solution.
Then set out to solve it and PROVE to them that you can.

Problems, wants, desires and needs are ALL potential markets
that are profitable.

So if you want to make money online, start trying to help as many
people get what they want.

This is why products in the "make money", jobs, weight loss, health,
and dating markets will always sell well.

These are markets where people continue to have problems they
want to solve.

And many of these niches?

The need keeps popping up, over and over.

In other words, "sex" is a very profitable niche.

Why?

Because the demand never goes away... so neither does the
chance to make money selling to that niche, and others like it.

But I'll also take it a step further: Target problems in which
people spend a lot of money to solve and are already doing it.

Don't start selling a product if there's no other successful company
doing it. It could mean that there's market for it and that no one will buy.

Piggy back on the success of others and just improve on an existing
product. Make it better/faster/cheaper/stronger/more durable.

Don't try to compete in general niches, either. Instead, go deep and be
as specific as possible. Try to be the leader of a more specific and
narrow niche.

Also, regardless of what some say, don't just "follow your passion".
You've also got to make sure it's a profitable niche.

The bottom line is...

1. Is there are large enough group of people actively looking for a solution?
2. Are these people easily reached?
3. Are there already products selling well?
4. Can I find a new and better hook?
5. Is there built-in repeat business potential (membership sites, supplements)
6. Is there a way to offer complimentary products (paid newsletter that sells vitamins)

If I can answer "Yes" to all of these, it's a good market.


**** Step 2: Give Away Something that PROVES You Can Help****

The secret sauce that has worked well for me in all of
my businesses is to first give away valuable information
that the prospect can use right away to get a desired result.

When it works and they get the desired results they want...
they WANT to come back and get more (buy your product).

You've now gone from a pain in the ass marketer to a trusted
adviser who slowly starts to build a tribe of followers.

I've been doing that for over 19 years now. I give away something
so valuable, the prospect wants to come and get more from you.

Of course, you can't give away everything you have... but you
CAN give away some exact advice or tips that will get the prospect a
desired result.

I can assure you, if you offer great content, you'll be seen as someone
who cares for them and has their best interests at heart.

You'll be unlike other marketers who simply try to sell first and help
second.

By offering incredibly valuable content, your prospect will see you as a
welcomed guest because you're already helping.

What you're doing is offering up something of incredible value in exchange
for their email address.

Once they fill in their name and email... send them over to your full-length
sales page. If it's written well, it could actually get the sale right there.

I've sold thousands of e-books right after someone signed up for my free
report and then was redirected to my thank you page.

Ever go to Amazon and see the "Click here to read an excerpt" icon when
you're looking at books? You can click on the book cover and up pops a sample?

Well, if the sample was totally vague, generic, and offered no useful advice...
do you think they'll go ahead and buy the book?

Think of your free report as the key that unlocks the purchase of the full
priced product.

If you give away crummy information in your free report, you won't get them
to sign up for the full program. .

Also, with the free report, you trigger the law of Reciprocity in which Robert
Cialdini talks about in his book "Influence". This simply means that when you do something of benefit for another person, they'll feel almost compelled to do
something nice in return for you.

****Step 3 Lead them to a Solution to their Problem****

Once you've given them a valuable tip or some insight, you want to either
create a product that solves their biggest problem...

Or you can point them towards one, as an affiliate. You do NOT have
to own the product to do very well online, you can do just fine as an
affiliate.

Think of the biggest, most painful problem in your target market and make
sure you have a product to solve that.

You'll get more of a WOW factor from the reader if it's 20 pages of life-changing information than you would a 200 page book of fluff and filler.

When creating your product... think of your target market's BIG problem and
write a solution to solve it. If it comes out to 30 pages, so what?

Each chapter can offer an exact step that helps solve the one big problem or
each chapter can be written to solve individual problems that the prospect has.

Either way, just create your program so it offers a solution and gives the
steps to solve the problem.

Or, become an affiliate and promote products you know will help your
prospects.

"Product creation" is nothing more than offering a solution to their BIG problem.

You can do it in video format, audio, written, or a combination. You can do it in a
webinar, in a coaching call, or any combination.

Don't spend years on your product creation... because the money is NOT in
the product.

The money is in the marketing.


***** Step 4: Promote Your Free Report/Get Traffic to Your Site

Now, here's where most marketers drop the ball.

They have a free report or something valuable to give away... but can't
find enough people to give it to!

Let me tell you from personal experience... the only way to make a lot of
money online is by getting a lot of traffic.

If you don't, you'll never make life-changing money. So, this just means you're
going to want to focus on getting enough traffic.

Google ads, Facebook, forums, email marketing, solos ads, press releases,
interviews, media buys, offline marketing, JV's, etc... you need to work hard at
promoting your free offer. Don't expect people to find you haphazardly.

When I started online, I used Overture.com, Findwhat.com, 7search.com,
GoClick.com, Yahoo.com, and some of the smaller pay per click search engines.

Then Google Adwords came along and changed the search game forever.

Since then, Facebook has become the top traffic machine, but there's also...

Twitter
Linked In
Affiliates
Media Buys
Solo ads
Bing
Email list buys

These days, to get traffic, you'll get the most from Google Adwords,
organic SEO on Google, Facebook ads, and media buys.

There are smaller traffic sources like Bing, Solo ads, or JVs.

Search engines will be more targeted and convert better... because people
are actively searching for the kind of thing you offer.


**** Step 5: Send Prospects to a Sales Letter for the Full Product****

You can create a million dollar business with just a few pages on your
site.

I know, because I did.

Heck, when I started online...I was able to sell over $3 million dollars worth
of my e-books using 2 basic pages on my site: A squeeze page and a sales page
in which persuaded the site visitors to invest in my e-book.

Or, if you have a lot of other products you can sell, you can set up what's called
a Sales Funnel, where you offer several different products to that customer.

But for the most part, the action takes place with your opt in page/squeeze page
and your sales page, which you can send people from your free report and also
once they opt in to get that report.

After they fill in their name/email to get your freebie... you can send them to
a thank you page that's also a sales page to get those who are really
looking to solve a problem they have.

If you're an affiliate, here's where you can send prospects to the sales
page that the product owner gives you.

Again, whether it's a sales page, video sales letter, download page, etc..
it gives the reader the reasons why they should buy your program.

It's what you use to persuade the reader to buy.

Come up with a good hook which captures their attention, and focus
the message on a unique idea that hasn't been beaten to death.

But it all comes down to catching the attention of your prospect and
speaking to what they're looking for right when they land on your page.

You want to have your sales page immediately offer some sort of benefit or
specific solution.

In other words, what's the specific and measurable benefit you offer to
someone that lands on your site?

You're writing to target JUST those people who have that BIG PROBLEM
you can help them solve.

Again, this is why you want to find the BIGGEST pain point or problem.
People don't buy products... they buy results and solutions.

So focus on catching their attention with the problem and then using the
sales letter to PROVE you have the solution.

Show why you're better than any other option. Why should someone choose
you when there are other programs?

In other words, what makes you better, different, or unique?

If you're going to make the kind of money you want to make... you need to use
the right words that speak to the specific needs and desires of your customers.

**** Step 6: Rinse and Repeat... Build a List of Customers****

When someone buys my e-books, they're sent to a download page that
has another opt in box.

I ask them to enter their name and email address to get their bonuses
immediately emailed to them.

This way, I can put them onto a customer list.

Treat this list like gold because that's what it's worth. Over time, this list
can make you more money than anything else and become your biggest
asset.

There were times when I'd send out an email to my customer list, recommending
a certain product, and I'd earn $10,000 in affiliate commissions.

That's why you want to build an email list of customers... because if you treat them
right and help them get what they want (reach their goals) they'll help you reach
yours.

Do not, and I repeat, do not send junk to this list.

Send them incredible, life-changing information... and do it often.

Occasionally you can then recommend another product. You can sell other
products of yours, or offer up affiliate products.

For me, it all started by selling a fitness e-book... then I'd sell supplements to
my customer list, I would sell workout reviews, webinars, seminars, other fitness programs, there really is no shortage of stuff.

If you have a good product and you treat your list well by helping them achieve
their goals, they'll continue to buy from you.

But again, only sell occasionally, make sure it's something of the highest quality,
make sure it's something that will help them reach their goals, and whatever you
do... do NOT sell just to make a buck.

Your list will see right through that.

Over time, if you did nothing else but create products to continually sell to your
ever- growing customer list... you have the makings of a 7-figure business.

Well, there you have the 6 steps I've used to sell hundreds of thousands of my
ebooks over the last 17 years online.

I hope these steps help make it a little bit clearer as to what's needed.

Now, these 6 steps don't always have to happen in this order, but I'm guessing
they're in the process somewhere... they are in MOST sales funnels.