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Sales Way Down?

by John Derrick
30 replies
Since every major media outlet has officially let me know that the sky is falling, I am curious to see what REAL WORLD experience all of us are seeing from this.

This kind of fear MAY make people purchase less.

It might not make any difference at all.

Or maybe people who pulled their money out of the stock market want to buy something....

The only thing I am certain about is that the sky is not falling. (I checked Wikipedia )

So how are YOUR sales since OCT 6 2008??
#sales
  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    Hi John....

    Mine have been pretty normal to be honest... the last 4 days have been pretty much predictable for what I have been trying, they have been more up and down than usual, due to my experimentation... but my bread and butter is consistent as ever...

    Acne Product Sales -- Check
    Horse Riding Product Sales -- Check
    Fitness Industry -- Flippin BOOMIN!!
    Paranoid Online Gamers Still Buying -- Check

    It's good all round..

    Like I said.. just my own experimentation is up and down,

    Peace

    Jay
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      I'm going to have my worst month of the year. Still respectable, but nothing
      close to what it's been.

      I could plaster my walls with emails I've been getting from people saying...

      "Look, times are tough and I don't have the money...Will this REALLY...blah
      blah, blah."

      I can't speak for everybody else but I get a ton of traffic and tons of
      inquiries. I'd be shocked to hear guys who are pimping out $997 products
      right now are making a killing when I have folks who can't afford a $47
      ebook.

      Everybody loves to beat their chest and make a good impression and God
      forbid any successful marketer admit his sales are down.

      But I think the population I'm reaching is pretty representative of the
      "make money online" crew. And if they're all bitching about the economy,
      I have a hard time believing these same people are heading over to MF's
      or JR's site and shelling out 1K for something.

      Now, in the non IM niches, things are down a little but not as bad. They're
      the reason I'm going to have a respectable month.

      Oh, and what's respectable?

      I'll probably finish around 6K this month.

      Considering I made over 13K in August, I'd say that's a drastic reduction.

      Now, having said all that, I'm not going to worry about it. What's the point?

      The only thing I can do is my best. If that's not good enough, I'll try
      harder. If that's not good enough, I'll try even harder.

      The only ones who REALLY fail are the ones who give up.

      That ain't me folks.

      Live to fight another day.

      You either win or die trying.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ron Kerr
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        I'm going to have my worst month of the year. Still respectable, but nothing
        close to what it's been.

        I could plaster my walls with emails I've been getting from people saying...

        "Look, times are tough and I don't have the money...Will this REALLY...blah
        blah, blah."

        I can't speak for everybody else but I get a ton of traffic and tons of
        inquiries. I'd be shocked to hear guys who are pimping out $997 products
        right now are making a killing when I have folks who can't afford a $47
        ebook.

        Everybody loves to beat their chest and make a good impression and God
        forbid any successful marketer admit his sales are down.

        But I think the population I'm reaching is pretty representative of the
        "make money online" crew. And if they're all bitching about the economy,
        I have a hard time believing these same people are heading over to MF's
        or JR's site and shelling out 1K for something.

        Now, in the non IM niches, things are down a little but not as bad. They're
        the reason I'm going to have a respectable month.

        Oh, and what's respectable?

        I'll probably finish around 6K this month.

        Considering I made over 13K in August, I'd say that's a drastic reduction.

        Now, having said all that, I'm not going to worry about it. What's the point?

        The only thing I can do is my best. If that's not good enough, I'll try
        harder. If that's not good enough, I'll try even harder.

        The only ones who REALLY fail are the ones who give up.

        That ain't me folks.

        Live to fight another day.

        You either win or die trying.
        It's funny how some top end products can defy the market. Some 25 years ago when things were not great on the economic front in Australia (and elsewhere for all I know), a luxury yacht builder I was aware of had more work than he could handle.

        Perhaps those with money simply keep it to themselves rather than invest in uncertain times.

        I will report back when I order my next luxury yacht, although it may have to fit in the bath.
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        Ron
        The Gadget News

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  • Profile picture of the author BJ Min
    ya...i've seen my sales down starting last month to this month...

    my AUGUST was better than september and looks
    like october is slower...

    i did make some changes to my site though...changing
    my front-end product...and marketing my front end product
    while marketing LESS of my backend (to the public)...

    is that okay?

    i read somewhere you want to focus marketing SPECIFICALLY
    on your front end product to the public...

    ...AND ONLY market your backend to your PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS...

    because of that, i might be having less sales...but
    that's what i learned so i made the changes...

    But again...we as IMers can create & improve every month...
    so i'm not afraid of the slowdown...

    ...just keep working hard like every month...and we'll all
    eventually see our business grow more and more...

    BJ
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  • Profile picture of the author BIG Mike
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author jboyd
      We sell a high ticket physical product. Our sales are "Pain Based" (you usually buy my product because you have to, not because you want too).

      Because we are a direct purchase source as opposed to using local contractor sources, our sales are WAY UP! More and more folks are taking charge of their $$ and controlling it's flow.

      We just happened to be positioned for the downturn. I basically have 2 customer types. The homeowner who is in need but struggling financially and must find a way besides the normal route to purchase our type of products, and then there is what I call "The 5%". The 5% is that population that will, by hook or crook do it a different way.

      That is my story and I am stickin to it :-)

      Jay
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim_Carter
    My sales are up a small amount.
    People are still buying PLR products to turn a profit with their lists etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author lakshaybehl
    My sales are UP!

    Because my traffic volume is up.

    This time I have a teram of 5 people creating content for me all day long instead of the 2 I had last month.

    Though conversions are down by 23.43%. (Trying to be exact here)

    -Lakshay
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Thompson
      Originally Posted by lakshaybehl View Post

      Though conversions are down by 23.43%. (Trying to be exact here)
      You succeeded!

      I've noticed a drop off in sales coming from a few of my affiliate sites in the past couple of weeks, I'm not sure if it's due to the economic downturn or if it's just one of those things that happens from time to time.

      I recent mailing promotion I did on the 1st day of the stock market collapse was a bit of a damp squid compared to what I'm used to, but again, that could be due to a number of things, not just the economic downturn.

      I do think we are in for difficult times though, even though I'm financially secure, I do find myself thinking twice before making purchases now. I think it's pretty hard not to with all of the scare mongering that's being thrown around by the media.
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    What is really exciting me right now is the possibility that small businesses are going to start getting incentives to innovate again. It is people with small businesses that buy my products, and I believe what we are seeing right now is big businesses get hit hard, followed by people being upset about things, followed by people who will start small businesses and proclaim "we can do better". I think the time is upon us, and I am very excited about this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
    Since Oct 6 is less than a week ago, it's a little early to be drawing any conclusions about sales trends.

    The price of gas is falling like a rock; shouldn't people have more money to spend?
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    IMO, the most important thing to be doing right now is to:

    A) Put your primary focus on creating the greatest possible value -- not only in your offers, but in your customer's experience giving you their money, and in the end results you deliver.

    B) Do a better job communicating that greater value to the marketplace than anybody else.

    Sound simple? That's because it is simple...

    When times are tough, value ALWAYS wins. It has to!

    Of course, buying into this idea demands that you actually give a $%^# and that you actually offer something of value to your market in the first place. As we all know, many Internet marketers neither give a $%^# or have any intention of worrying about whether or not the product delivers on its promises.

    Too bad, so sad... Sucks to be you.

    Weak offers with little value are not going to do well going forward.

    The culling of the herd has begun. Become valuable or perish.

    Brian
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    • Profile picture of the author Allen Graves
      I think it has to do a lot with your niche and the people within it.

      For instance, if you are selling to stock brokers, it might not be a good year. But if you are selling money saving ideas to young families, you're probably going to be doing well, or at least about the same. OK, that may not be a perfect example, but you get the point.

      With the changes in the worldwide economy and the way people are adapting to some major changes in the world, it might be time to rethink your diversification. Getting rid of some niches and starting new ones may be a good idea and/or something to think seriously about right now.

      Respectfully,
      Allen Graves
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Lam
    Mine has remained about the same (growing 5% monthly).
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  • Profile picture of the author derekwong28
    A recession is like a shuffling of a packet of cards as far as prospects are concerned for different types of businesses. Those that did very well before like luxury products will suddenly do very poorly, whereas those that did not do well before like thrift shops may do well.

    However, most businesses will recover eventually as rents, wages and advertising costs go down. But the point at a business recovers depends on the type of business. Eventually as businesses recover, rents, wages and advertising costs will soar again.

    -Derek
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  • Profile picture of the author peterdobler
    I am seeing a steady growth of IM newbies that are exploring IM as a way to supplement their income. I think this could be another internet rush as it happened after the 2001 down. 2002 was the gold rush area of IM and if you are a established internet marketer, you will see an growth over the next few months.

    My signup rates are up steadily and mostly by IM newbies.
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  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Wilkinson
    Regardless of how the election comes out, just having
    the cycle over with generally has lifted people's spirits
    and resulted in a January lift.

    Tomorrow and Tuesday will be the worst of the worst
    but we will all get through it. Maybe we can build the
    next business cycle on a more solid foundation than this
    last bubble.

    T.W.
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    Mine are down but I'm working less...
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  • Profile picture of the author John Derrick
    Thank you everyone for taking this poll and leaving your comments.

    Here is something funny that I noticed

    When I tally all the comments, I come up with these stats:

    50% UP
    14% SAME
    36% DOWN


    But the results for the actual poll are:

    29% UP
    14% NORMAL
    39% DOWN
    9% (don't actually sell anything)

    Makes me wonder if people are more likely to admit that sales are down when it's anonymous.

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    • Profile picture of the author johnpetrov
      My sales went up this month. I'm in the Law Of Attraction Niche (In my opinion this is a huge untapped market)

      Best regards,
      John
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    • Profile picture of the author derekwong28
      In a money making forum, I would think members would be very reluctant to admit that they are doing badly in public, especially in front of portential customers.

      In any case, a lot has happened since this thread started on Oct 12th. Then, nobody knew how bad the economy is, now all official figures paints a very serious picture around the world.


      Originally Posted by John Derrick View Post

      Thank you everyone for taking this poll and leaving your comments.

      Here is something funny that I noticed

      When I tally all the comments, I come up with these stats:

      50% UP
      14% SAME
      36% DOWN


      But the results for the actual poll are:

      29% UP
      14% NORMAL
      39% DOWN
      9% (don't actually sell anything)

      Makes me wonder if people are more likely to admit that sales are down when it's anonymous.

      Signature

      Do not get between a wombat and a chocolate biscuit; you will regret it dearly!

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  • Profile picture of the author adsenser
    My sales are down by nearly 43%.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Douglas
    My revenue increased significantly in Oct, mainly because I added a successful new product. I find that I'm the most creative when times are challenging.
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    • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
      It's funny how some top end products can defy the market. Some 25 years ago when things were not great on the economic front in Australia (and elsewhere for all I know), a luxury yacht builder I was aware of had more work than he could handle.
      If a business isn't dependent on high sales volume then it can often weather storms pretty well.

      Cheers,

      Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author Floyd Bogart
    To me the economic climate is just
    one more market condition to factor in.

    Choice of products to promote, what features
    and benefits to stress in sales copy. The marketer
    that succeeds in finding the right combination of
    these types of factors will make money!
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  • Profile picture of the author Doug
    Each month through July this year sales steadily increased. And then in August the drop-off began, a steady decline with September being quite disappointing.

    However, October shot back up with about a 40% increase and about 10% above this time last year. Is it the economy? Some I reckon and I agree that the naysayers can bring on even more gloom. Now they are telling us unemployment is at 6.5%

    So far the first week of November has been down again. But, the month started on a weekend, and since I sell mostly B2B, these types of months always start slow.

    One of the reasons I attribute August and September's drop-off though is the fact that I took two full weeks off. This alone causes momentum to slow anytime. October was back up because I pushed hard to get moving through the sales drop.

    I do believe that regardless of the 'economy' those of us who push through will continue to be successful!

    Doug
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  • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
    my sales have ben way down too
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    • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
      My sales tend to be the same if not getting a little better.

      I suppose it does depend on the niche.

      In a way if you promote IM related products there is MORE selling power during the reccession because people are more likely to look to make money online or any extra money.

      All the best

      Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author reclusivecopy
    You have to be more creative now, but I havn't noticed a drop in sales.
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