Where have all my sales gone?

by 23 replies
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I sell a pretty unique ebook at federal-prison.org. Over the past 6 months, it has sold very consistently. Now from Oct to Nov sales are down 60% and so far this month, when compared to Oct, Dec is looking like it will be down 70%.

My traffic numbers haven't changed at all. I don't think the US govt. has stopped sentencing people to federal prison. Anything obvious that I am missing anywhere?

Thanks for any input!
#main internet marketing discussion forum #sales
  • I'm pretty sure I've been to your website. And I almost bought your ebook, too.

    You probably already know about it, but a LOT of information about the Federal Prison system can be found for free on the message boards at prisontalk.com/forums. I know about them because I researched the federal prison system when Edna, the lady I helped the Secret Service put away, got arrested and sentenced to Federal Prison.

    What's funny is that site has decent page rank, too...but up to now I didn't use any "identifying" information about myself because I didn't want Edna to find my posts there. Now that she's, er...not around right now, maybe I can see if the site is Do Follow and can take links.
    • [2] replies
    • I've been to the forum and even have a banner ad running. There is free information about all kinds of subjects on the Internet, but many people still appreciate a well written book. One of the better selling prison guides has sold over 20,000 copies in the past 7 years.

      Would you have purchased the ebook if it had been cheaper? If so, how much cheaper? I'm about to release a redesigned website and all sales will include both an ebook and paperback. The price will go up to $97. I suppose I might be wise to test this.

      Anyway, I'm still completely in the dark as to reason behind the sudden drop in sales....Can anyone suggest the best way to show one price to 50% of my customers and another price to the other half?

      Thanks!
    • Oooh Angela, do u have something you need to share lol

      • [1] reply
  • LOL ... geez your visitors would NEVER steal
    your ebook would they?? :rolleyes: Just a thought

    Most likely it`s simply due to the fact people
    are broke!! Do a split test, setup the product
    at a cheaper price and see what results tell
    you ... here is software that split tests from
    headlines to full pages ...

    Split Test Software


    The way the US dollar suddenly "found some
    value" again means most other currencies go
    down the shit chute.

    I was paying for example less than AU$70 for
    one membership 3 months ago ... it`s OVER
    $100 Australian now.

    So basically for me, it`s costing me 30%+ more
    than it was 3 months ago and has been that way
    Oct/Nov/Dec ... your timeframe.

    Christopher J.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the link to the software. I will give it a shot. I use secure-ebook as a PDF of this material would surely circualte for free on the Inernet.

      If you were looking to get your voice heard by those facing federal prison (over 70,000 people a year), where would you turn?

      To me, getting attorneys to recommend the site to clients or to buy the book on their behalf presents the best opportunity. Now how do I reach the attorneys? All ideas welcome.

      Maybe I send out 100 paperback editions to the more prominent lawyers with a URL for volume discounts so they can order more and have on hand for clients? This would cost me $1000 or so. Money well spent?

      PPC for anything to do with attorneys seems to be ridiculously expensive...
  • Another thing to consider is how your sales are on a month by month basis compared to last year. I guess as you said over 6 months that perhaps yuu weren't selling this ebook a year ago. It may just be a quieter time for people purchasing this type of ebook.

    Wendy
    • [1] reply
    • It's only been up since about May in its current design so nothing really to compare to. I will try the split page testing and some of these free giveaways to lawyers and report back.
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  • i'm trying to grasp the idea of your product, it's a guide to how to survive prison? haha, some of the people on here might just need it!
  • I've just read the sales letter. Looks like an interesting read even for those people not planning to spend time inside.

    One thing I notices is that early on the page you say it's a "92 page guide", later on it's a "180 page guide". As a buyer that kind of thing automatically puts me off as you don't know exactly what you're getting.

    I actually think that you may be more profitable selling a hard copy of the book at a much cheaper price. That way you can get the casual Amazon browsers who just have a general interest in the subject (I guess I'd certainly consider picking a paperbook copy up), plus there is a chance of getting printed copies to people inside a prison, which is another market (I'm assuming this is plausible not knowing the full workings of the US prison system).
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    • Did you bother to read the entire sales page? The answer is right in there...

      Mike Hill
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  • Running adwords? Google seems to have some fairly decent search volume for this sort of thing. I wouldn't expect it to be something that would sell a high volume though, and especially not at $67. To me this is a $17 to $27 ebook at best.

    Maybe some explicit photographs of what might be waiting for these folks at prison if they don't buy your book would help? Just kidding.... sort of.

    Angela: Don't you fear what this gal might do when she gets out? I had a deal where I identified a hit and run DUI driver a few years ago. Turns out he was a bad dude being a member of a gang and already on parole. I still wonder every once in a while if this guy will be back for revenge when he is released.
    • [2] replies
    • Obviously I don't know about the case, but I had the same thoughts. There are plenty of people in prison plotting revenge... Anyway, hopefully that's not an issue here!
    • I'm not really worried about this person. She's more of a...er, how can I say this in a politically correct way? She's never been violent, and she's not the brightest crayon in the box. And her hair is light in color.

      Besides all of that, this woman was helping Nigerian scammers to defraud people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the victim had been your grandmother, living on a fixed income, wouldn't you be glad that someone came along and did something about it? I did what I knew to be the right thing to do. The right thing is not always the easiest thing.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
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  • Thanks for all the replies.

    The best selling federal prison survival guide book sells at $49 a copy (paperback only) and has sold 20,000 copies in the past 6-7 years. Other competitors sell in the $60-$70 range. My goal is 500 books a year. I think it's reasonable.

    The target market is people who have just been indicted/sentenced to federal prison. There are 70,000 people involved in federal criminal cases each year. Most spend tens of thousands on lawyers who help with the legal proceedings, but the lawyers have no idea about prison survival skills. They represent you until you are sentenced and then say "good luck" and that's that. No one then comes out to explain what you are facing, what is expected of you, how to act, what your life is about to become. People gladly pay for this info and I get lots of thank you emails.

    The target market is not incarcerated inmates. Trust me, you don't want to be seen reading a prison survival book, while in prison! (That's a free tip for fellow Warriors!)

    I am about to redesign the site and offer the ebook and paperback together for $97. Bad idea? They get instant access (can't print) and then 5 days later they get the paperback.

    I may quietly offer the paperback alone on Amazon at $49-$67 and see what happens. How much would you pay just to read it out curiosity, (without having been sentenced to federal prison)?

    Thanks for the heads up on the page typo. It's 180 with the bonuses. I will update that now.

    I have the main adwords words covered. "Federal Prison" gets huge traffic, but whenever I taregt this keyword, it doesn't result in conversions. Just lots of page views. The other related keywords don't get so much traffic and I rank well organically anyway.

    I think my best bet is working with prison consultants and lawyers who refer the book to their clients... Now, the best way to get in touch with these people. Would an email with an activation code for the ebook be enough or would you mail a free paperback with cover letter?
  • Jonathon, have you considered diversifying a little bit? Like how to survive "Federal White Collar Resort Prison" and "Federal Pound Me In The Ass Prison". The product is great, if I had spare money laying around I'd buy a copy just to keep reading your story, you sell it well. Has your traffic remained constant with no conversions?
    • [1] reply
    • Hi. Thanks. Do you mean to sell the same product, but with different entry pages pitching a different angle? Or do you mean to write more books?

      I've heard other people say that they were tempted to buy out of curiosity, even though they are not going to prison. Realistically, what would the price have to be to convert the "curious, but not indicted" market?

      My traffic has remained the same. To be blatantly honest, I usually get about 100 unique visitors per day, which I know is nothing when it comes to IM. Perhaps that is not a big enough sample size to really judge what is happening?
      • [1] reply
  • Thanks! I'll check out crazy egg. And maybe I'll try a few different pitch pages. Because the potential customers are limited, I'm weary of dropping the price too low. I think people are facing prison though find $67 a drop in the bucket. Remember, they usually spend thousands on lawyers.

    If for $67 you also receive a paperback in addition to the ebook, would you still view it as pricey?
  • Hi Jonathon

    Maybe your sales are down due to the market being
    overwhelmed with the same kind of books or topic
    after so may years.

    Even though you have consistant visitor traffic, it
    seems like it is a case of "I come, I see and I leave".

    You should find other ways of promoting your book,
    if not it is time to start promoting a new book or start
    another type of online business.

    To your success !
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the comment. I'm convinced that I can get this to 500 books a year. I think it's going to take some partnerships with other sites and recommendations from lawyers to their clients. SEO and PPC is probably not enough. If your lawyer tells you that you need to pick up this book you probably will. (Even better, if your lawyer just gives you this book).

      Yes, I want numerous online businesses! I've spent so much time on this one, I have to start to get my head around a new topic that I feel is genuine and sincere. I can't stand all the hype. (For $97 I'll show you how I make $$1000 a day!)
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  • 27

    Where have all my sales gone?

    I sell a pretty unique ebook at federal-prison.org. Over the past 6 months, it has sold very consistently. Now from Oct to Nov sales are down 60% and so far this month, when compared to Oct, Dec is looking like it will be down 70%. My traffic numbers haven't changed at all. I don't think the US govt. has stopped sentencing people to federal prison. Anything obvious that I am missing anywhere?