[Curleyjohn]

Originally Posted by Lance K

Let me preface this by saying that I didn't doubt the experience and expertise of the offline wizards in this thread when they spoke about business owners being clueless.

That said, I ran across something interesting when doing a little research.

I was checking out the current adwords practices of local cosmetic surgeons. The doctor who holds the #1 PPC spot for "boob job" is a specialist in FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY. Nowhere on his landing page (or anywhere on his site for that matter) does it mention "boob jobs" or even breast augmentation. The title for his ad is "Plastic Surgeon".

Here are the services he offers according to his website...

We offer the following plastic surgery procedures:

Facial plastic surgery, Eyelid surgery, Lifestyle lift, Cheeks augmentation, Chin augmentation, Nose reshaping, Protruding ears

That's it. But he's paying to hold down the #1 spot for "boob job" (locally) on adwords.

And when I search CITYNAME plastic surgeon, he's not listed in the "7 pack" as AP calls it. He's not even listed at all. And he's not on page 1 of the organic results.

For the term CITYNAME facial plastic surgery...he's not in the "7 pack" there either. He is listed in position "I". But as before, his site is nowhere to be seen on page 1 of the organic results. He does hold the #2 PPC spot, but again uses the "Plastic Surgeon" ad headline. No mention of "facial" (his specialty) anywhere in the ad.

Now the $100,000 question is how much is he paying to do such sloppy advertising? I'm sure it can't be cheap. The thought of this makes my hands sweaty. Kind of like standing at the top of a 40 story building looking straight down from a balcony.

[Dexx]

Originally Posted by dremora

I have one that charges only $5/hr. Eastern Euro gal. Journalism school graduate (went to school in US) if you explain what you want crystal clear, she will deliver an awesome job and beat the deadline.

How did you find her?

Through one of the outsourcing websites, WF, or some other method?

~Dexx

Are there any tasks not suitable for VAs (at least overseas ones?) or for the most part are they basically like virtual secretaries that can handle pretty much anything as long as the Step-by-Step process is explained?

i.e. Could I train a VA to write and submit articles, write and submit press releases, generate reports from Google Analytics etc.

Or would it be better to hire article + press release writers, then have those content items SENT to the VAs for submission etc.?

~Dexx

[TheMagicShow]

Even more sweet info on local listings from SEL

Search Engine Land- Search Results for local search listings

Over 958 articles on this topic...This should keep you folks busy for ages, at least on this topic!

Also, this was a link I had for awhile and I decided to share it because so many have given in this thread. All of the info AP has given on local listings and these resources I have given will keep your head spinning for local listings.

Local Search Tips, Tricks & Secrets

The link above has interviews from top seo experts like Aaron Wall as he discusses local search marketing.

Enjoy!

[TheMagicShow]

Originally Posted by Curleyjohn

Now the $100,000 question is how much is he paying to do such sloppy advertising? I'm sure it can't be cheap. The thought of this makes my hands sweaty. Kind of like standing at the top of a 40 story building looking straight down from a balcony.

These people don't know any better or have a consultant that charges them lots of money with little or no results. I had a client that was working with one of the most aggressive PPC management companies.

This company has an insane setup fee + monthly and yet, their campaigns for my past client never... had a single Neg keyword and all the phrases or keywords were set in broad match.

So this type of foolishness runs all over the web all day-n-night..

[dremora]

Originally Posted by Dexx

How did you find her?

Through one of the outsourcing websites, WF, or some other method?

~Dexx

By trial and error on elance. I went through a whole bunch of really crappy ones before finding a good one. I usually post a few really simple projects that won't take much time as trial projects, hire different VA's on all of them (the ones with the best value of low price+good feedback score/portfolio). There are a whole load of middleman sharks there who bid on everything without even reading the descriptions. When I write the project description, I hide a filter somewhere in the middle of it or towards the end like 'when you bid on this, start your proposal with the capitalized word green so I know you actually read the whole thing' that weeds out those vultures and those who lack the required English skills.

Are there any tasks not suitable for VAs (at least overseas ones?) or for the most part are they basically like virtual secretaries that can handle pretty much anything as long as the Step-by-Step process is explained?

Basically anything they can screw up and do irreversible damage is not suitable. If you find really good VA's you can train fast, then anything is suitable. I recommend reading The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, the guy explains how he delegated everything to the VA's and how to manage them. He has a whole load of real life case studies. That is where I learned all about finding good VA's and giving them tasks. also if you hire a professional VA company like the one owned by Marx Melencio, they group VA's by talent and skillset - they keep their VA's specialized (though Marx has the lowest prices I have seen in the market, higher end India companies charge $20-$30 an hour for such specialized VA services)

i.e. Could I train a VA to write and submit articles, write and submit press releases, generate reports from Google Analytics etc.

Sure thing, but article writing is not for everyone. Especially if English is not their first language, you may end up rewriting the articles yourself cause it will look like a poor Google translator output. (been there done that, learned the hard way by wasting time and money)

Or would it be better to hire article + press release writers, then have those content items SENT to the VAs for submission etc.?

Tthat is what I did too. One VA for articles and another one for submission/backlinking. Usually backlink guys don't want to write articles, they just like submitting them.Specialized folks do the best job cause they focus on just one thing and do it well.

[JRG]

Originally Posted by DogScout

OK,
Here is my current dilemma
entering 'dog grooming', brings up local results based I guess the server location.
(not logged in to Google, clean cache)
entering my 'location dog grooming' brings up an entirely different set of results.
In many cases the businesses in one search are within a block of the other search but the over lap is less than 20%
The 7 pack businesses are completely different, as well (no overlap)
Even comparing 'dog grooming' and the server 'location dog grooming' changes the 7 pac completely with a 20% over lap.

So using a keyword and the same keyword with the same location as the server the search comes from changes the organic results 80% or more.

So the local site needs to target both a key word and a location+keyword? In this location, there are over 50-100 location terms that could be entered within an hour's drive. So a key word + 50+ locations would need to be somehow incorporated into the site and/or directories to make sure it is one of the 20% that shows up on all possible searches?

Do searchers use their location when searching a business? Anyone that does so regularly knows Google picks up the location, or close to it without entering it.
(in another niche, the location was entered 4% of the time)
In a metro area, there would be even less advantage to entering location. But a metro area like DC/Baltimore not entering it might return VA results for Maryland customers which would/could mean a 1-3 hour travel time difference. (especially if they are FIOS Verizon customers as the servers for that whole area is in VA, even for MD customers.)

I am sure there is a way to come up for both searches, but the directories doesn't seem to affect the results with and without adding location the biz comes up on some and not on others (even does not show on searches for location searches that are closer to the biz than some location searches it does show up in!). Besides when you have a local business that can serve a lot of location names, it can get overwhelming.

Ideas?, thoughts?, solutions?

This is hard to wrap my head around, especially since drive 10 minutes in any direction puts you in a different jurisdiction name (and most locations here can be known as several names). (And if you have a client in a city or area you are not in, without using a proxy server you have no way to check the accuracy of a search that is made without a location entered. (And I wonder if a non-location search would be different for someone across the street, even if they had the same ISP. (It would assuredly be different if they has a different ISP).

My brain hurts now!

I have run into this issue with a client, here is what I did.

I optimized the site for both the keywords and the keyword + location. Here is how I did it. Throughout the site I mixed up phrases like, plumbing and plumbing atlanta, broken pipe, broken pipe in atlanta etc...

I primarily did this for the biggest city or area that their market was in.

Then to make sure I added more cities / areas, I made a section of the site where I list all areas they service.

Then believe it or not this was the biggest boost to all those cities. I took the pictures of jobs they did and made sure that I tagged it with the keyword and city it was done in. I made them get at least one photo from each area. Tag was something like "faux finish kitchen in chicago". Also with the testimonials include tags with keyword and location. "John D. from Dallas"

I was as creative as I could be and then with the vertical directories I made sure I checked all areas.

Oh and btw, Flickr has amazing SEO results for the images that are tagged properly. But make sure to follow their rules, it is ok to display work but not to advertise it. So you can tag "Windows tinted in houston" but not "go to blah blah blah for windows like this!"

After being as creative as I could be, the client is now page 1 of search results and usually #1 with up to a 1.5 hour driving radius.

They are not only in the organic section but most of the time in the maps and of course adwords. You can imagine how often they get click throughs when a customer sees them 3 times on page 1!

Hope that helps.

[Kristen]

Dexx

You may want to check out Replace Myself. I think the owner's name is John. He has his VAs do everything. They even have his CC numbers.

You can hire through the site and John has supplied some training. There is a simple website where your VA can log in to get instructions and docs you have uploaded.

Unless someone here knows better, that is where I'm getting my staff. I may use a different task tracking website though.

Replace Myself | HomePage

[JRG]

I looked at some VA services, I believe there is even a WSO for one from Rachel Raffe. These are kinda cool because you have access to all of the VA's so you are not lacking any specific talent. The only issue I had was that you could wait 30 days for something to get done because they are working for others. But I guess it is better than nothing. I think it was only $45 a month too.

[Kristen]

If this has been asked and answered, my deepest apologies b/c I'm asking again.

To be clear about the front end of APs sales funnel does it go like this?

1. Research YP, Google page 3, etc. make sure they meet prospect criteria
2. Send out Dunning mailer that directs prospect to website/squeeze page.
3. At website prospect opts in for free report
4. Drip campaign starts
5. They call number given on website? Or only in the drip campaign? They leave name, company, phone number
6. AP gets back to them in 1 day
7. AP asks questions and if they qualify AP sends them (mail or fax) the short questionnaire
8. AP’s VA calls them after hours to remind them the questionnaire is in the mail
9. They return short questionnaire. AP researches them, their competitors.
10. Then AP calls to either say no deal or let’s meet where upon the initial appointment to meet face to face is set up
11. Then we are off to the races

Thanks.

Kristen

[Kristen]

Originally Posted by JR Griggs

I looked at some VA services, I believe there is even a WSO for one from Rachel Raffe. These are kinda cool because you have access to all of the VA's so you are not lacking any specific talent. The only issue I had was that you could wait 30 days for something to get done because they are working for others. But I guess it is better than nothing. I think it was only $45 a month too.

One of the selling points John from Replace Myself points out is that you actually hire them full time--they are your staff. John also provides instructions on how to hire and how to handle assignments, cultural stuff (like the 13th month), etc.

Kristen

[cityofangels]

I agree with Dremora.

You shouldn't hire VA's for article writing if English isn't their first language. You should definitely get English speakers for this task. You may end up spending a bit more for the articles, but it will be worth it. Remember the old phrase "you get what you pay for"? Last year, I hired 3 VA's through Replace Myself and it was not a good experience. They had separate jobs--article writing, setting up landing pages, following a particular program. Not to mention, it took me hours to review resumes, send emails and wait for them to respond. It was a job looking for someone to do the job. I found myself spending whole days doing this. That was very frustrating. Then of course, 3 months later, I get bombarded with emails of people willing to work but the job was no longer available.

I located a good article writer here on WF and he's AMERICAN, lives in Maryland and does a good job of article writing because his native tongue is ENGLISH. I can't stress enough how important this is when looking for an article writer. His name is Mac the Knife. Here's his website. Mac The Knife Articles - A Cut Above The Rest!. He wrote 40 articles for me on 5 different topics and did a decent enough job-- a lot better than the VA's I hired previously. He received good reviews from others as well.

I had VA's in the Philippines that didn't get the job done, cost me money and even more importantly--time. Something I could never get back no matter how hard I tried. Some people have mentioned having good luck with oDesk, but I've never tried them.

Good luck.

P.S. Great thread! Much appreciated!

Originally Posted by Dexx

How did you find her?

Through one of the outsourcing websites, WF, or some other method?

~Dexx

Are there any tasks not suitable for VAs (at least overseas ones?) or for the most part are they basically like virtual secretaries that can handle pretty much anything as long as the Step-by-Step process is explained?

i.e. Could I train a VA to write and submit articles, write and submit press releases, generate reports from Google Analytics etc.

Or would it be better to hire article + press release writers, then have those content items SENT to the VAs for submission etc.?

~Dexx

[JRG]

Comments in blue

Originally Posted by Kristen

If this has been asked and answered, my deepest apologies b/c I'm asking again.

To be clear about the front end of APs sales funnel does it go like this?

1. Research YP, Google page 3, etc. make sure they meet prospect criteria 5 Yrs in business seemed like a big requirement
2. Send out Dunning mailer that directs prospect to website/squeeze page.
3. At website prospect opts in for free report
4. Drip campaign starts
5. They call number given on website? Or only in the drip campaign? They leave name, company, phone number I would imagine both, I know that there was mention of a VA answering the phone and I think a recorded message. Might be they leave a message to the recorded message and then VA calls them back to tell them that AP will be in touch in 24 hours. This step I assume is to put AP at a higher position and seem more credible.
6. AP gets back to them in 1 day
7. AP asks questions and if they qualify AP sends them (mail or fax) the short questionnaire email?
8. AP’s VA calls them after hours to remind them the questionnaire is in the mail Don't remember this step
9. They return short questionnaire. AP researches them, their competitors.
10. Then AP calls to either say no deal or let’s meet where upon the initial appointment to meet face to face is set up
11. Then we are off to the races

Thanks.

Kristen

Sounds to me like you got it and thanks for listing it out.

AP?

[dremora]

We should start an AP fan club on facebook

[Pat Ordenes]

Originally Posted by Pat Ordenes

Just a Quick reply to the original question on the thread.
What services are you offering for monthly fees? None.
I went to a meeting yesterday (first meeting), with a very different mentality to what I had previously. I went in with the intention of NOT selling.
Used Dexx's free question templates (which is a great base btw, get it... like NOW!) and adjusted them to fit my customer. In other words, I personalized them and linked them to what the customer offers.

With the questions i found out invaluable information about the company, including what they make per month, the number of new customers and marketing expenses (thus working out their cost per acquisition), and loads more info.

The point being, I let the customer talk about 80% of the time, and I just asked questions, and sometimes made comments and small suggestions of what could be done, etc... Enough to let him know I have a clue!

Alas, we didn't agree on anything, except that he signed an agreement for me to commence 'work' on his site. We haven't even discussed exact figures, just round numbers, based on what he's currently spending (that's why it's great to know their marketing expenses and CPA, because then you're in a position to propose figures he/she's comfortable with).

I'm meeting him again next week, to finalize the marketing agreement.
The point being, he wasn't even that interested in what I was offering, but rather he was receptive because of the questions I asked. You can position yourself very well just by doing this.

And getting back to the monthly service fees, I didn't even have to discuss them since I offered results, not just a service.

cheers guys, excellent (though terribly long!) thread!

Just an update on this...
The business owner signed up with me today for a monthly plan, and I'm also getting a new logo designed for him (separate cost!)...
Which in turn also means new stationary!
Its was all a very smooth transaction!
I also organized a direct debit system, so I don't have to follow up on invoices, etc...
Cheers guys!

[David Rosa]

Originally Posted by dremora

We should start an AP fan club on facebook

Totally agree with that one!! jeez. i just got all my offline education and confidence from here. I mean the internet part helps too,but you know.

i worked with 2 of my friends business' so far and 1 increased 15% in a month with only one thing i have said.

the other gained a ton of leads the day after i told them to tweak one thing on their website. Amazing how this works and how oblivious people are to it.

[dremora]

I just did some local directory magic for the first client and they are already getting all kinds of walk-ins, phone inquiries etc... I had no idea this stuff was this simple. The beauty of it is, it requires ZERO investment. I started up one business but the legal paperwork and the manufacturing costs were way too high and very time consuming. The only problem was the legal agreement with this one and AP pretty much took care of that by posting his agreement. That alone is priceless.

AP, unless you were a war criminal or mass murderer, whatever bad things you might have done in the past have been voided with this thread. Not just teaching the man how to fish but how to set up a fishing cartel

[DogScout]

& the thing is, he is helping the business owners and the employees they no longer have to lay off more than us!

[EricWPM]

Originally Posted by reilly3000

Here are some lightweight, easy to implement CRM systems to consider:
PipelineDeals
Javelin CRM
HeapCRM
BatchBook
FatFreeCRM - open source, try hostedffcrm.com
Highrise
I mentioned business catalyst earlier. It offers CRM plus everything else under the sun. When you're a reseller you get a free fully upgraded account.

There are really TONS of options out there, but all of the above I have had hands on contact with and are easy to use from day 1.

Hi Reilly3000,

Thanks for the list. I just realized how much I needed a CRM to keep track of all my clients, tasks, appts, etc. My 4x8 whiteboard was getting messy

I went with Javelin (now CapsuleCRM) because it was free and looked the easiest to learn... plus it's cloud based on Amazon's S3 storage with https security. Took about an hour to get up to speed. I can't believe how much easier my life is now!

Everything I do is tracked and tied to my customers... I only wish it had a timer built in to tasks like some of the others.

Thanks for the suggestion... you just gave me a little extra free time to do other things now plus I'm more organized. No more stuff falling thru the cracks!

[TommyBoy]

Originally Posted by dremora

I just did some local directory magic for the first client and they are already getting all kinds of walk-ins, phone inquiries etc... I had no idea this stuff was this simple. The beauty of it is, it requires ZERO investment. I started up one business but the legal paperwork and the manufacturing costs were way too high and very time consuming. The only problem was the legal agreement with this one and AP pretty much took care of that by posting his agreement. That alone is priceless.

AP, unless you were a war criminal or mass murderer, whatever bad things you might have done in the past have been voided with this thread. Not just teaching the man how to fish but how to set up a fishing cartel

The local listings are definitely a killer way to get more business to a local business, and it is a service you can sell without major presentations, etc.

[dremora]

For the VA topic, I just wrote a long article on my blog on how to hire the best VA's and how to save yourself from any possible headache and frustration. Didn't want to write too much here to avoid derailing the thread from its original subject, if anyone wants any tips/help about VA's, you are more than welcome to PM me.

[reilly3000]

Originally Posted by Curleyjohn

Good luck!



Maria Gudelis recommended Base Camp on her webinar last week but does that really qualify as a CRM? IDK haven't gotten that far yet.



Even if he doesn't, it's pretty easy to do. I went to bubble.us and started with the business in the center and then looked at every possible service I could provide and built them in a circle like AP's Avatar.

This is what I did.
Picasa Web Albums - john

Maria didn't recommend Basecamp as a CRM, she recommended it as a project management system. Very important distinction.

CRM is for managing your sales pipeline. Keeping track of whom you've spokane to what about when, and getting some insight into how your prospects are moving along in your sales funnel.

Project Management Software is for running your business. Basecamp came from the need to keep track of multiple deadlines and to dos for complex projects with geographically distributed teams. It works like a charm for that. It has its limits- 37 signals is not a company that is out to please everybody. Like Apple, they build awesome products that do what they think they should do, not have every blasted feature to the point that it isn't usable.

That being said, I dropped basecamp and started using 5pm. It is very solid. If you know much about project management, it has fancy features like Gantt charts. But for a simple implementation like mine it has been easy to work with and I feel a far superior interface. Check it out : 5pmweb.com

Hahaha I am addicted to web 2.0 software companies. Ask me anything, I'll probably have tried it or evaluated it. Such a nerd...

[Dexx]

Originally Posted by Pat Ordenes

Just an update on this...
The business owner signed up with me today for a monthly plan, and I'm also getting a new logo designed for him (separate cost!)...
Which in turn also means new stationary!
Its was all a very smooth transaction!
I also organized a direct debit system, so I don't have to follow up on invoices, etc...
Cheers guys!

Way to go Pat!!

[reilly3000]

AP- as usual, TOP NOTCH stuff on local.
If you guys want to get up to snuff on Local SEO, your first stop should be getlisted.org

Then read David Mihm's blog, then localseoguide.com, then blumenthals.org, then smallbusinesssem.com. These guys KNOW THEIR STUFF on maps optimization .

The cell phone number thing is new to me AP, great tip

[AndrewCavanagh]

Originally Posted by AP

Offline is Offline. There are so many programs and WSO's out there today it will make your head spin. I've been doing this since the 80's, back then it was called "Business Consulting." About a year or two ago it became Offline Gold, lol. This is NOT something new. It's because of the advent of the Internet, which businesses really
Take your skills, your comfort level, and work with that first. Move up in price when you can offer more benefits to the small business owner.

Whatever system you decide to come up with on your own, just make sure it has Monthly Continuity money or forget it. I can take the next 6 months off and still have huge money coming in every month. My clients may get a little ticked off me not being available, but they'll still pay. One time money sucks! Leave it to the Website guys.

Use whatever talents you have TODAY.

• Create a Google/Yahoo! Local Map listing (FREE)
• Get your client listed in the Vertical Directories (FREE)
• Set up AWeber, write a few auto-responders (Client pays)
• Now place a Lightbox or email capture on their website (FREE)
• OnPage SEO (Title tag, Meta tag cleanup will suffice, FREE)
• Free Press Releases (scribble something and post it up, FREE)
• Free Blog
• Free Twitter account
• Write some Free Atricles and post to Ezine (FREE)
• Have the client call his Merchant account and Print email capture on every receipt. Customer can get "Preferred Offerings" Great for any Restaurant and Retail stores (FREE)

Just doing that will give your small business owner a Significant advantage over other businesses competing with him.

~AP

Very good advice.

Since Offline Gold was the name I gave one of my reports (Offline Gold For The Online Marketer) which seemed to stick as the name of the niche (I honestly don't know why) I can tell you there is no real difference.

Those of us who have been using marketing in business for decades know that the fundamental principles don't change.

The tools we use do.

When I was a young man in business the two most important factors in retail for most people were:

# A location with high foot traffic (you paid a fortune in rent for a good location...many business owners still do).

# Television advertising. It used to work like gangbusters back then. Now it's rarely worth the investment.


These days you can build quite a small business that makes substantial profits working from home or from a location with much cheaper rent and less foot traffic by nicheing tightly and using the internet, word of mouth and referrals to generate business.

The tools we use and the businesses that generate the most profits are changing and they'll always be changing.


I've worked with Michael Senoff and those audios you get on his site are fantastic.

His HMA system is also good but thinking that paying $5,000 to anyone will magically make you wealthy is just kidding yourself.

You're still going to have to contact and talk to business owners.

As AP said above for most people on this forum you ALREADY HAVE THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO HELP BUSINESSES.

You've been honing them here and online.

You just need to get yourself in front of some business owners and find some ways to use those skills to help them make more sales and profits.

This whole business model is really as simple as you finding a way to be of genuine service to a business owner using the skills you have and the resources you have access to (you could outsource work to other warriors etc so in theory you don't need to do the work yourself...you just need to understand how a service can help a business make more sales and profits).

For most people starting out keeping it VERY simple and using the skills you have is the best way to start.

And start TODAY talking to business owners you know, business owners your friends know and the owners of businesses where you're spending money.

Also start going to business networking groups and other groups and events where business owners congregate and start getting to know some.



The thing I'd really LOVE to see in this thread is some stories of people who've USED the information here and now have paying clients.

If you've done that please share it.

If you haven't done that why haven't you done it?

All this information is completely useless without action.

Talk to some business owners today and get some momentum going.

Yes you're going to mess up but the only way you'll develop the skills you need is by taking action and getting some feedback from your mistakes and your successes.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[reilly3000]

Originally Posted by EricWPM

Hi Reilly3000,

Thanks for the list. I just realized how much I needed a CRM to keep track of all my clients, tasks, appts, etc. My 4x8 whiteboard was getting messy

I went with Javelin (now CapsuleCRM) because it was free and looked the easiest to learn... plus it's cloud based on Amazon's S3 storage with https security. Took about an hour to get up to speed. I can't believe how much easier my life is now!

Everything I do is tracked and tied to my customers... I only wish it had a timer built in to tasks like some of the others.

Thanks for the suggestion... you just gave me a little extra free time to do other things now plus I'm more organized. No more stuff falling thru the cracks!

Happy to help. Interesting to hear about Javelin to Capsule- sad how petty naming battles can distract good companies.

As you jump into using the tool, make sure to practice using it in your daily business so you can become consistent with it. Otherwise, you'll just have another messy whiteboard, except its online instead. Make a discipline of entering everthing on the fly as you get calls in, or keep a notepad by your desk and write down notes to enter into the CRM. Don;t let that become your todo list, just make notes and cross them off when they're in your system.

Also, capture all the data you can, don't be lazy and just type in their e-mail address. You'll never know when you need to send a fax, or want to do a mailing. Your database is your business's biggest asset. Treat it like you want to sell it to somebody.

[Venturetothetop]

Just to add my piece to this great thread.

Now I currently work as a freelance consultant, and I'll tell you below, How I managed to save one company 30 million EURO in 2 weeks, and how I increased a 2.24 billion EURO companies sales by 10%, and it was so simple....

I've been an offline entrepreneur all my life really (even though I also been online also for about 15 years - ps, I'm only 30), and learnt the art from my father. He went from a mom and pops store, to a chip shop (yep we live in England) to then having much more freedom as a wholesaler.

He learnt slowly, but taught me quickly that it's better to set up your business as a business, and not as a job or you are never going to enjoy the money you earn.... With the moms and pops store he could have expanded but it would have meant him working all hours. With the Chip Shop he got his first experience outsourcing the jbo of running a chip shop to someone else, and he managed the business. And with wholesaling he had the right mindset from the start, target companies who have the money, deal with pounds (hundreds of them at a time) and not pennies..

I've read this before here on this thread, but I have to state this mindset again:

YOU WANT TO RUN A BUSINESS NOT CREATE A FULL TIME JOB

So, if you know you are worth it... then expect to be paid top dollar...

Ok, here is how I saved a company 30 million in 2 weeks:

1) background, at age 28 I decided to study an MBA and got headhunted for a inhouse consulting role.

2) Told the CEO in my interview that I thought his line of questioning was degrading and if he though someone else could do a better job, then hire them.

3) two weeks later got a call, saying Im hired and that the CEO will work directly with me (never been done before)

4) He tells me, he likes the fact I told him whats wrong... NOBODY ELSE EVERY DID!

5) I talked to a number of higher and lower exec's and I simply ask them what they think is wrong and what they would improve.

6) One person tells me that there is a problem with the computing system and that all returned items from customers are back in the warehouse but not back in the system, so cannot be sold.. all due to a glitch.

7) Estimated value of stock returned but unable to be sold - 60 million EURO !

8) I talk to two more people and ask how to fix it. Answer is a 2 year overhaul of computing system at a cost of 200 million..

9) I ask why we can't simply stop the warehouse, do an overnight recount and reset base stock level in the computer system.... DUH !

10) Organise 50 people at a cost of 10,000 for the weekend and find almost 60 million of lost stock.... (30 mill got sold within 12 months of me finding it)

11) CEO says wow, come work for me.... I say no.... he gives me 6 figure bonues as a come back soon gift...

12) Managers in big companies hide problems... If all you do is ask the right questions, the money is there to be made...


This post is getting long so I post story 2 about adding 10% to a companies sales in another post if people are interested...

Last thought, I have tons of experience in this game after appprenticing with my father, before my own ventures. If you are new to this, dont expect to charge top dollar straight away.... Do your homework, apprentice with someone on this thread for 3 to 6 months... If I were you I would relocate if someone offered me training and they had the life I wanted...

Put in the work first, get the right mindset and then business flows naturally...

[AP]

Originally Posted by Venturetothetop

Just to add my piece to this great thread.

This post is getting long so I post story 2 about adding 10% to a companies sales in another post if people are interested...

Last thought, I have tons of experience in this game after appprenticing with my father, before my own ventures. If you are new to this, dont expect to charge top dollar straight away.... Do your homework, apprentice with someone on this thread for 3 to 6 months... If I were you I would relocate if someone offered me training and they had the life I wanted...

Put in the work first, get the right mindset and then business flows naturally...

Great story, but you should have gotten more money for saving all that Euro.

If you had a chance to read this thread, I would appreciate it if you could be BLUNT with me and tell me what you honestly believe has been posted here, especially my post.

I am so blunt with business owners most wouldn't believe how I really talk. I tell it like it is, no holding punches. If they don't like my style, then keep losing money.

I get so many people sending me emails who don't believe I get $10,000 to $25,000 upfront and thousands per month in management fees. It's beyond their paradigm.

The funny part is you and I know that's Peanuts compared to what others are getting. I know people making millions per year doing business consulting. People like your father.

I'd love to hear any stories you have.

~AP

[James Druman]

Originally Posted by Venturetothetop

This post is getting long so I post story 2 about adding 10% to a companies sales in another post if people are interested...

Sure, Man--keep it coming. Great post and even if the example is out of our league for a lot of us, it still serves as something to learn from. Good advice on apprenticing as well--I think it's definitely a good idea to start smaller and get some experience before aiming too high--AP's post on this and the basic services he'd offer for 997 starting was golden as well.

Thanks for contributing.

cheers,
James

[Venturetothetop]

I really sorry James (Dru man) for posting a reply to your PM here, but I can;t reply to a pm until I have 50 posts and then, I have have forgotten, so please accept my apologies for posting here:

James likes the idea of being an apprentice but cannot relocate from Thailand so this is what I replied:

Well James, if you cannot relocate then long distance contacts are out the question for the time being. First you must establish yourself in Thailand.

Im not to familiar with Thailand and I guess they work a little differently to the western world.

Firstly what experience do you have and what can you do? Write a list then you can seriously plan who to target in Thailand and then we can plan next steps.

Just reading your mails I can see two things that can make you money straight away:

Join up with some freelances, and offer them the service of finding contacts JV for their clients (like you have done with the management consultants) - you already know your va can do it, and Im sure Freelances would appreciate one more service or one more job off their hands.

2) This is something you should write back to me straight away about (!)

Dunning mailing system.... I dont actually know what it is... write a few articles about it... get a few examples from freelancers who will let you have them and then write an ebook (promote them in your book if they give them you - or get your VA to find some on the net)
Become an expert on dunning articles... it's a hot topic in this thread and many experienced guys like me dont know the word... then many freelancer will offer you apprenticeships if you handle their dunning work etc...

Hope that helps, and Im serious about number 2, let me know more ! (I wrote something about my blog here, but took it out as it's no longer a pm and i'll get accused of promoting!)

Remember, your aim firstly is to offer enough value to freelancers to become an apprentice.... do that first....

[James Druman]

Originally Posted by AP

I get so many people sending me emails who don't believe I get $10,000 to $25,000 upfront and thousands per month in management fees. It's beyond their paradigm.

The funny part is you and I know that's Peanuts compared to what others are getting. I know people making millions per year doing business consulting. People like your father.

~AP

I think that's hilarious that people bother wasting the time to even send you an email and tell you they don't believe. If I see something online that I think is a bunch of bull, I just click away and move on with my life. It's almost like they're clinging to their limited beliefs because realizing what is possible is too painful for them--because they're selling themselves short and moving beyond that paradigm means they have to hold themselves to a higher standard.

Or like Will Smith says in that video clip for The Pursuit of Happyness--people want to tell you that you can't do something because they can't do it themselves.

For me, as i said above, I think these numbers are out of my league--currently--but that's temporary. It's not beyond my reach, and by learning more, getting out there, and developing the right mindset, I think it's 100% possible.

Have my first phone consultation set up with a client back in America--it's going to be a challenge establishing credibility over the phone but being overseas the options are limited. I've got my website pretty much set but a few small tweaks needed, and have started my first marketing book.

Thanks again to all you guys--though I have to say you're waaay over-delivering here...not that I'm complaining.

[Venturetothetop]

Originally Posted by dru-man

For me, as i said above, I think these numbers are out of my league--currently--but that's temporary. It's not beyond my reach, and by learning more, getting out there, and developing the right mindset, I think it's 100% possible.

That's 100% the right mindset. I'm experienced and I'm still learning here today... I never want to get to a stage where I stop learning or growing as that gives you all a chance to catch me !

Mr AP, when I get my PM rights your the fist on my list.... we think the same !

[sligon00]

Originally Posted by AP

One of my clients is a Cosmetic Surgeon. I advertise for Boob jobs, $4,000 per boob. Doctors cost is $1,000 per boob. We found the LTV (Lifetime Value) of a boob job is $20,000+


The more boobs he gets the better I look.

And the better she looks, and the happier her husband, ah life is
so beautiful.

BayAreaSteve

[James Druman]

Originally Posted by Venturetothetop

I really sorry James (Dru man) for posting a reply to your PM here, but I can;t reply to a pm until I have 50 posts and then, I have have forgotten, so please accept my apologies for posting here:

No worries--thanks for the quick response--the only reason I sent that as a PM was to keep the thread from heading off on a tangent, but this is cool.


[quote=Venturetothetop;1734218] James likes the idea of being an apprentice but cannot relocate from Thailand so this is what I replied:

Well James, if you cannot relocate then long distance contacts are out the question for the time being. First you must establish yourself in Thailand.

Im not to familiar with Thailand and I guess they work a little differently to the western world.

Firstly what experience do you have and what can you do? Write a list then you can seriously plan who to target in Thailand and then we can plan next steps.[QUOTE]


Biggest challenge here for me has been that smaller companies--mom and pops--can't afford these kinds of services and I'm not working for pennies. I have started dabbling in some barter for things I need.

Also, a lot of people ask me what I do and when I try to explain internet marketing they think I mean I run an internet cafe or once they grasp taht I work online they immediately assume I'm a network marketer. A lot of people don't have the concept down that they can market their businesses online.

That said, there are some online marketers in Bangkok that are making some dough. It would take relocating to a city that doesn't seem all that livable to me, but it could be a good way to start.

There are, of course, some companies out here who can afford this kind of stuff and understand what it is, so like you said, it's about identifying which industries are optimal.

Exports comes to mind as an obvious industry with money and the need for an internet reach, but then we're getting into international promotion instead of local, which is a different story entirely--although I imagine you could rack up some pretty amazing consulting fees for what you could offer them if you had the right skillset.

I could also stick with the restaurant industry but to make up for the exchange rate only target the high-end fancy restaurants. They would be more ideal as well since many of their clients are expats who will be more easily target with email marketing.


[QUOTE=Venturetothetop;1734218]Just reading your mails I can see two things that can make you money straight away:

Join up with some freelances, and offer them the service of finding contacts JV for their clients (like you have done with the management consultants) - you already know your va can do it, and Im sure Freelances would appreciate one more service or one more job off their hands.[QUOTE]


Great idea--to clarify for the rest of you, what he's referring to is that I just had my Filipino VA gather 1000 email addresses and websites of professionals in a niche I'm targeting abroad. I was planning to launch a dunning-style email campaign. I am actually getting set to start offering this service for my online clients, but on a much bigger scale.

Originally Posted by Venturetothetop

2) This is something you should write back to me straight away about (!)

Dunning mailing system.... I don't actually know what it is... write a few articles about it... get a few examples from freelancers who will let you have them and then write an ebook (promote them in your book if they give them you - or get your VA to find some on the net)
Become an expert on dunning articles... it's a hot topic in this thread and many experienced guys like me dont know the word... then many freelancer will offer you apprenticeships if you handle their dunning work etc...

Hope that helps, and Im serious about number 2, let me know more ! (I wrote something about my blog here, but took it out as it's no longer a pm and i'll get accused of promoting!)

Remember, your aim firstly is to offer enough value to freelancers to become an apprentice.... do that first....

I think what you're saying is to carve out a niche with my freelance business by writing articles about the dunning method and also offering to write people email sequences modeled after this strategy. I'm no expert myself--I'd heard of it but didn't know what it was until someone posted a link to a Dan Kennedy video they got from AP. But it's doable for sure--and a skill I'm looking to perfect.

Interesting ideas, and thanks a lot.

Edit: Didn't want to seem like I was promoting myself here, so I'll drop you a PM with my email address.

Thanks again for the tips.

Cheers,
James

[T.R. McCarroll]

Originally Posted by EMaria

Hi Magic Mel,

Do you know if there's a way to get on their mailing list?

Call them...I can guarantee you will get on their next mailing

Thom

[Venturetothetop]

Originally Posted by dru-man

I'll drop you a PM with my email address.

Or you could impress me, by using my sig and contacting me via a way which shows you made a extra effort to find out something about me ! (Im the prize !!)

Anyway, back to serious talk, here is story number 2 on how I added 10% to a 2.2 billion dollar companies sales figures.

1) ok, so as in my previous post, Im already well known by the CEO.

2) They also own a reputable TV station, who want to do a project to ask who their customers really are. They have hired an agency but ask me to do the project also so that they can check if results are similar...

3) I say only on the condition, the CEO of the TV company becomes my personal mentor throughout the project. Everyone agrees. (again first time CEO of the TV station has agreed to mentor anyone)

4) Get treated like a king (CEO of TV station reports to CEO of mother company, who hired me, so I could basically do nothing on this project and still earn a bonus)

5) Whilst there I ask the same question to people: What do you think is wrong and what would you do to change it. Implement 3 simple changes that gets me noticed (job done)

6) Find out they won an award for upselling. Ask to sit with upselling for 3 weeks and learn everything about how to upsell properly.

7) Ask a colleague in the Mother company how good upsell is there and they say 1% of sales! (TV company has 14%!)

Wow - the expertise is within their own company and they never thought of using it!

8) Go to main CEO, tell him I can get it to 10%, he says ok, I say give me a team of 16 quality people... He says OK (hey, Im there to manage not do the work!)

9) Convince Upselling manager of TV station to train my team of 16 for 3 weeks (from mother company so he has no choice!)

10) Help them plan how we overhaul Upselling in the mother company and start immediate action.

11) They obviously achieve immediate results (on target to reach 10% but am told that they would have even be happy with 3% increase!)

I did nothing.... I got the idea of transferring competencies... Got a team together, got an expert to train them, BUT I GOT CREDIT !!

12) CEO asks me again to stay... I say no.... you know the rest by now

13) I keep in touch with many of the 'celebs' I met at the TV station who think Im some sort of cool English speaking hotshot... go figure...

I did nothing... Just saw something that went well from one company and copied it into another....

But I had the experience to spot it, and I had the knowledge of how to transfer it....

Learn the trade, develop the mindset and success follows...

[Russ Reynolds]

Regarding CRM solutions...

Here's a great set-up if you are just starting out.

Use Mail Chimp as your autoresponder to capture leads.

>It is a list management tool that is free up to 500 subscribers. You can also manually add local contacts that have given you permission to do so.

>Use it for your a/r clients (again, free up to 500 subscribers).

Use Batchbooks as the CRM

>Allows you to import gmail contacts
>Free to start
>Syncs with mailchimp so you with a simple click you can convert any of your mailchimp sign ups to a lead in Batchbooks (ie. once a member of your list puts their hand up by contacting you etc then you move them to the CRM).

Use Freshbooks to invoice your customers.

>syncs with Batchblue. You simply change a tag in batchblue and the lead becomes a customer in freshbooks.
>create great looking invoices quickly and easily
>integrates easily with paypal or your own merchant account
>supports recurring billing/autobill

So here is the flow...

A prospect enters your Mailchimp system via the web or manually on your part.
Once they show some interest, you convert them to a lead in batchblue.
Once they become a customer you set up automatic billing/invoicing in Freshbooks.

And it is all free to get started.

Russ

PS - I have no affiliation with any of the mentioned websites - just thought that it is a nice set up to get started and is scalable.

PPS - set your customers up with the same system and add another revenue stream to your business.

[jockpurtle]

Originally Posted by AP

I'd love to hear any stories you have.

~AP

For those of you who doubt that people can get paid that much, I am 20 years old and signed a contract for 9,000 per month just before Christmas. And there are a few people reading this thread that can attribute to that.

Guys you have to understand that these types of companies are getting pitched 10, 20 and 30k webste and 5k, 10k, 20k per month 'maintenance' which is their bull**** term for a few articles and hosting.

You need to get over your free mindset and discount e-books and get into the real world

Here are my lessons to impart:

- mindset, mindset, mindset, until you get that right you are stuffed
- you are the prize, you can solve the problem, you set the standards
- have a system first, AP's system is pretty much what I have in place, except I charge for my initial consult - but you can always learn, that mindmap is a killer idea (I have stolen that, thanks
-socratic(questions) selling makes sales so easy
- questions like "why should I be working with you" are very powerful
- target people who are spending money on advertising becuase they are the ones that can afford your help and most importantly you can help the most.
-stop reading forums and start doing. the only reason im here is a friend referred me to it, I am learning as much as you and I am putting together 6 figure deals, you will never stop learning and improving

[JRG]

Originally Posted by AP

I get so many people sending me emails who don't believe I get $10,000 to $25,000 upfront and thousands per month in management fees. It's beyond their paradigm.

The funny part is you and I know that's Peanuts compared to what others are getting. I know people making millions per year doing business consulting. People like your father.

I'd love to hear any stories you have.

~AP

First, thank you for ignoring the trolls and continuing to contribute cause I know it can be frustrating.

Those people still emailing you with doubts will be here months from now looking for a way to make money.

If they just went to a couple good seminars they would meet guys charging much more for less. I know several mentors that charge no less than $50k a year just to ask advice from. I have met one that charges over $100k.

There is a factory near me who's owner hired 2 guys to shadow him for an entire year. You better believe they are getting paid a very nice price to do that.

One business owner I met and am glad he did not become a client, spent $13,000 on a booth at a home show and put his installers in it who knew nothing about sales and sat around the whole show watching people walk by. Not one sale from the home show. He dropped $13,000 in 3 days for nothing!

[Fernando Veloso]

Warriors,

Since the beginning of this thread, and as some of you may remember, I did change my company approach from top to bottom these last weeks.

New mindset, new USP, new website, new sales funnel.


Results of new approach and mindset:

Yesterday had 3rd and final meeting with a customer. Delivered my strategy to bring sales up and market domination + optimize his company from inside.

That's a 20K/Year proposal.

You read it right: 20 thousand Euros per year. 8K installment AND 1K month for a whole year.

And why that value? Cause his high ticket customers have a value of 12-16K per year.

I expect to grab at least 6 in 12 months and keep at least half of them inside his circle of trust. That's a new income of almost (or more than) 100K per year.

At the end of the meeting he decided to keep me on hold for a couple weeks (days? Months?) to analyze the proposal and decide IF he wants to pay me that much.

He knows what he's missing cause I showed him exactly that, now the ball is on his side.

P.S: Know what I did? Acted like a high paying customer and phoned his company a couple days ago. It's a must. So... Nobody answered in their office or bothered to call back. It get worst: phoned to mobile number available (the "sales manager") and the sales guy promised to send me a quote next minutes. Guess what: never got that quote. He just said goodbye to a 4K customer. How dumb is that?

[vitto]

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Warriors,

Since the beginning of this thread, and as some of you may remember, I did change my company approach from top to bottom these last weeks.

New mindset, new USP, new website, new sales funnel.


Results of new approach and mindset:

Yesterday had 3rd and final meeting with a customer. Delivered my strategy to bring sales up and market domination + optimize his company from inside.

That's a 20K/Year proposal.
....

Awesome! But don't stop there. Keep building your pipeline. Question, did you put an expiration date on your proposal?

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by vitto

Awesome! But don't stop there. Keep building your pipeline. Question, did you put an expiration date on your proposal?

Thanks Vitto, and yeah a did put a expiration date (scarcity/urgency)

But I know he's going to get back to me when he wants, that's a fact. Not when the deadline is coming.

[jacquic]

Originally Posted by phil.wheatley

Hi AP

If not then I fully understand as you've already given us soooo much. This week, I think I may have landed my first Client so I'm very excited...and nervous ;-)

Well done! When are you first meeting them?

Originally Posted by AP

As promised for Tuesday delivery.


This puts the Ball in the clients court to get the ball rolling. This gives you a few days breathing room for the check to clear.

This information is CRITICAL for getting your clients listed properly in the online vertical directories and Google Maps.

When you create a Google Map, Google sends out "bots" to look for "Citations." Citations are basically 3rd Party Top Online Directories, such as Superpages, Yelp, Insider Pages, City Search, etc...

I didn't know that - thanks

Originally Posted by AP

Yes I am. If I see my work in a WSO I'm going to kill someone.

It's all right. we'll kill them for you

Anyway, who here would bite the hand that fed them? (My cliche for the day.)
~AP

Originally Posted by dremora

Had a meeting with the first client... This is great. Another one is lined up. And a whole load of prospects.
Great to hear :-)


Who else has got what?


I had someone around today signing me up for something, so we had a quick squizz at his website....I looked online for him (no sign under several search terms), said a few things (what, not how), and I think as a result he will be a new client. A small one, but one nonethelesss, and knows a lot of business people.

Originally Posted by Pat Ordenes

Just an update on this...
The business owner signed up with me today for a monthly plan,

It's so good to keep hearing these stories :-)

!

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

Very good advice.

As AP said above for most people on this forum you ALREADY HAVE THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO HELP BUSINESSES.

You've been honing them here and online.

You just need to get yourself in front of some business owners and find some ways to use those skills to help them make more sales and profits.

You are both so right. I think my need to keep learning wasn't just a love of doing that, but a very good way of procrastinating. Anyway, the ball has started rolling now.

Also start going to business networking groups and other groups and events where business owners congregate and start getting to know some.

That, for me, is the easy part...it's getting beyond that which has been tricky. This thread has given me the push I needed.

Giving a 10-minute talk to some biz owners (a la BNI) this Friady - without the use of a board or projector. I guess it's best to talk in benefits and give a couple of case studies. The are mostly computer-clueless. Ideas, anyone?

[quote=Venturetothetop;1734094]Just to add my piece to this great thread.

Now I currently work as a freelance consultant, and I'll tell you below, How I managed to save one company 30 million EURO in 2 weeks, and how I increased a 2.24 billion EURO companies sales by 10%, and it was so simple....

Both your stories were a pleasure to read. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Warriors,

Results of new approach and mindset:

Yesterday had 3rd and final meeting with a customer. Delivered my strategy to bring sales up and market domination + optimize his company from inside.

That's a 20K/Year proposal.

He knows what he's missing cause I showed him exactly that, now the ball is on his side.

I hope he does get back to you. But if he doesn't, will you be able to use what you've learned and approach his competitors?

Crikey - leave this for a day and it takes AGES to catch up! Wonderful to hear all your stories and tips.

Jacqui

(One reason for not catching up earlier was because of my thread here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/177021-ideas-please-my-16-year-old-son-needs-make-350-four-weeks-ideas.html#ZUpMtp58Deko4OmC. Kind of to do with this one, just at a different level. If anyone has the time...)

[Venturetothetop]

I had a few PM's asking how I increased the upselling in my second story I wrote about. Since I cannot PM until I have 50 posts, I will just answer it here...

What they did before:

They sell over 200,000 different items (it's Europe's largest catalogue company). A customer rings up, and they are all upsold the same product ! Yep, you bug a rug, and they try to upsell you batteries!

This was acceptable for them, as upselling was a new feature, and any money made was considered a bonus.

What my team simply did:

Learnt to tailor each upselling offer to each product. Now you buy a rug, we try to sell you a rug cleaner...

(it took 16 people due to the large number of products and the inputting time, and I left them with instruction on how they can expand this idea to cheaply sell dead stock etc)

Thats it. Anyone could see that was a problem, but nobody took the reigns and said I will change it. The upselling manager was getting a bonus on his 1% sales increase and everyone else thought he was really clever for coming up with the idea... until I kicked his ass...

The problems are so obvious in most companies, but they never have time to stop working, sit back and ask the right questions. That is what they pay money to do.... and rightly so...

(ok, Im one hell of a good manager but thats another story, I write next time... and again it earned me a bonus)

[Fernando Veloso]

jacquic,

Even if he does not want to go ahead with this project, all the data, mindmaps, systems, strategies, mindset, and especially all the training aren't going anywhere.

They all stay with me.

So yeah, we need to be doing this more often. One per week, 3 per month.

And you can bet on me: next one I'll be more prepared then ever.

Action, action, action.

I hope he does get back to you. But if he doesn't, will you be able to use what you've learned and approach his competitors?

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Warriors,

Since the beginning of this thread, and as some of you may remember, I did change my company approach from top to bottom these last weeks.

New mindset, new USP, new website, new sales funnel.


Results of new approach and mindset:

Yesterday had 3rd and final meeting with a customer. Delivered my strategy to bring sales up and market domination + optimize his company from inside.

That's a 20K/Year proposal.

You read it right: 20 thousand Euros per year. 8K installment AND 1K month for a whole year.

And why that value? Cause his high ticket customers have a value of 12-16K per year.

I expect to grab at least 6 in 12 months and keep at least half of them inside his circle of trust. That's a new income of almost (or more than) 100K per year.

At the end of the meeting he decided to keep me on hold for a couple weeks (days? Months?) to analyze the proposal and decide IF he wants to pay me that much.

He knows what he's missing cause I showed him exactly that, now the ball is on his side.

P.S: Know what I did? Acted like a high paying customer and phoned his company a couple days ago. It's a must. So... Nobody answered in their office or bothered to call back. It get worst: phoned to mobile number available (the "sales manager") and the sales guy promised to send me a quote next minutes. Guess what: never got that quote. He just said goodbye to a 4K customer. How dumb is that?

Great Stuff Fernando....

Care to share the industry your client is in? or is that a Secret?

[sb]

Originally Posted by AP

I make my own list. I use a combination of the Yellowpages, Google search co's on page 3+ (the wanabees who have yet to make it), Chamber of Commerce and the BBB (great for getting owners name)

I then mail using the "Dunning Mailer method" Google it.

Letters go out, drive visitors to website, site does all the heavy lifting (video, long sales copy, free report, etc...) site then gives prospect my Phone number. Original letters have no phone numbers, client must go to site.

Client calls me, live person answers, operator tells them I will call back within one business day.

I call client, tell them what I do and who I am (refresh what video said) then I ask a LOT of questions. I tell them they need to Qualify.

If I think the client is good for MY BUSINESS then I send PDF or fax the Questionnaire.

Client completes, faxes back. I Google them, their competition, and whether or not I can help them. 90% I can help. If I like them and they fit my Ideal client then I will work with them.

I am Interviewing THEM, not the other way around.

I am the Ringmaster, the Guru. I am the only one who can turn the business around.

Client writes check for $5,000 - $25,000 for Initial setup, then pays me a continuity fee on average $1,497 to $2,497 per month, 12 month minimum.

I was wondering why AP was ignoring my question about whether the Dunning letters drive people to the website or to make a phone call. So I was going back through the print outs I've made of certain posts and found this one for those of you who had the same question.

I don't blame him or anyone for not wanting to answer a question that's already been answered. I've read many questions that have already been answered and been a little perturbed by them myself.

If you've got a question and haven't read the entire thread, you really need to take the time to do so, this is literally priceless (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration but how much is hundreds of thousands of dollars a year worth to you?). If you want to take a shortcut, or forgot the answer to something, download the PDF's that Dog Scout has provided and do a search in them for keywords that might answer your questions.

Have you done your prospecting for the day???

[Kristen]

Originally Posted by dru-man

No worries--thanks for the quick response--the only reason I sent that as a PM was to keep the thread from heading off on a tangent, but this is cool.

I'm thrilled Venturetothetop had to post his reply. Otherwise we would not have gotten info on apprenticing.

Thanks dru-man for your concern. But IMO, worrying about veering off topic will make this thread less informative. Come on folks we have veered before and no one died.

Our own forum would be nice. But then we would have to check out multiple threats to get it all. This is like a really good buffet that serves up fresh stuff every day, all day.

And I love that new ppl are showing up all the time. It gives us more great info to digest.

Kristen

[surf17]

I am on page 23 now....whew outstanding, simple outstanding.

I wanted to take a few minutes and see what I could come up with

Maybe something like:

Want Quality Food?
Want Low Prices?
Want Outstanding Service with a Smile?

Never WANT again when you can HAVE at ............(insert name of restaurant)
Guaranteed!!!!!

Maybe something like that. Let me see what else I can come up with.

Back to reading......

Keith

Originally Posted by Curleyjohn

Ya know how sometimes things are right in front of your nose and you just don't see them. I'm guessing that I can make a USP from info pulled from the front page of my clients website.

It talks directly to putting in countless hours to make sure the customer is completely satisfied with their meal, service and experience in the restaurant.

Think I'll start with:


Going over the top to insure you're completely satisfied with your meal, service and total experience at XXXXXX. Everytime! Guaranteed!


Anyone got ideas?

[JRG]

I know that AP said he does all the directory submissions himself. Has anyone found a quick way to do this? I thought about outsourcing but I too would be concerned about someone screwing it up.

The times that I have done it for a company it takes forever. I started using Roboform and creating profiles for each client and that way it made it a bit easier. But it still took a long time, but I submit to a ton of directories.

I also use social bookmarking for the clients too, but I outsource that. I have been too lazy to setup my own social bookmarking sites and submitter.

[sb]

Originally Posted by JR Griggs

I know that AP said he does all the directory submissions himself. Has anyone found a quick way to do this? I thought about outsourcing but I too would be concerned about someone screwing it up.

The times that I have done it for a company it takes forever. I started using Roboform and creating profiles for each client and that way it made it a bit easier. But it still took a long time, but I submit to a ton of directories.

I also use social bookmarking for the clients too, but I outsource that. I have been too lazy to setup my own social bookmarking sites and submitter.

I like these guys: Universal Business Listings for Online Yellow Pages, Search Engines, Local Directories and 411 Directory Assistance