Is a desperate buyer necessary?

11 replies
I've been at this internet marketing thing for months now and, for all of the packages and programs I've bought and devoured, have yet to make a dime. I think my main problem is that I get started in a direction and then find a guru that contradicts what I've started to do, so I scrap the project and move on to the next one.

To avoid doing it again, I thought I'd check with you guys before I start this next one.

I'm inclined to sign up for an affiliate program of a service I like very much in the spirituality/new age niche. However, from the official bum marketing course, I know that I'd stand a better chance of making sales if I'd promote a product that caters to "desperate buyers"-- people that stand to lose something important to them if they don't take action (i.e. buy my product) immediately. I don't think this product I'm considering fits that bill.

Would my efforts in the new age niche likely be futile because the people coming to my site are casual browers rather than a "starving crowd?"
#buyer #desperate
  • Profile picture of the author freudianslip27
    That's a good question.

    You can do whatever you want. On one hand, a "desperate" market does tend to have higher conversions, but it also has more competition (usually). If this niche is something you are passionate about, and know something about, that can be a huge advantage for you.

    Just make sure you have a plan, and know that your niche can be monetized well. Do you see others promoting this product in adwords? If they are spending money on a regular basis to run ads, they are probably selling well, which means you can too

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  • Profile picture of the author TheMagicShow
    Originally Posted by thegoddessofeleven View Post

    I've been at this internet marketing thing for months now and, for all of the packages and programs I've bought and devoured, have yet to make a dime. I think my main problem is that I get started in a direction and then find a guru that contradicts what I've started to do, so I scrap the project and move on to the next one.

    To avoid doing it again, I thought I'd check with you guys before I start this next one.

    I'm inclined to sign up for an affiliate program of a service I like very much in the spirituality/new age niche. However, from the official bum marketing course, I know that I'd stand a better chance of making sales if I'd promote a product that caters to "desperate buyers"-- people that stand to lose something important to them if they don't take action (i.e. buy my product) immediately. I don't think this product I'm considering fits that bill.

    Would my efforts in the new age niche likely be futile because the people coming to my site are casual browers rather than a "starving crowd?"

    You just don't have to sell to desperate buyers, you can sell to buyers that have passion and interest in different things, there was someone here that had a report or wso and they were promoting video games and materials that were related to gaming, those types of buyers are not desperate at all, they just have passion/high amounts of interest in gaming. These people spend billions a year for video games as well and the economy really has not stopped them from buying their games either.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Listen to me, don't over complicate this.

      1. Find a market, any market where people have problems and need solutions.

      2. Find a solution to the problem, one that has a proven track record to sell.

      3. Market the solution to the market.

      Now I realize that the above is incredibly simplified, but I've run out of
      novels to write tonight. I don't know what affiliate marketing books you have
      but my gut tells me that any one of them has the basics that you need to
      make affiliate sales. Stop looking for the "perfect solution." There is none.

      If you have the money, invest in a mentor who will guide you through the
      process and give you "a way" to make affiliate sales. There is more than
      one and for the most part, they all work. Some better than others, but
      they all work.
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  • Profile picture of the author coolWebsites
    There is a saying that you should "Do what you love, and the money will come". If money is not a *major* issue for you right now, I would suggest spending time doing what you love and it will come. If you need to put food on the table, figure out how to do that first, and then do what you love.
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  • Profile picture of the author imaddict
    Hey there... first of all - do yourself a favor and stop listening to "gurus" - most of them are full of crap who don't practice what they preach and have never sold anything other than 'how to make money.'

    From what you posted, you already have more than enough info to get rolling. You just need focus. Desperate niches are nice but not necessary. What you want is people with a high passion index.

    For example, I wouldn't classify golfers as desperate but they're definitely passionate about the sport and won't hesitate to spend big money to improve their game.

    I don't know a thing about your proposed niche but if it's something people are passionate about (and you also share some of that passion for it) then by all means go for it.

    And above all - forget the gurus!

    Best of luck to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author clint48
      I'm inclined to sign up for an affiliate program of a service I like very much in the spirituality/new age niche. However, from the official bum marketing course, I know that I'd stand a better chance of making sales if I'd promote a product that caters to "desperate buyers"-- people that stand to lose something important to them if they don't take action (i.e. buy my product) immediately.
      The problem could partly be you are not desperate enough.

      Clint
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Deegan
    Deseprate buyers can be an easier crowd to sell to, but there are many other markets that are just as easy.

    First, if you see other people "selling" in any market then there is money to be made. This is probobly the biggest qualifer of market viability. Do keep in that mind just because there are people selling in a market, you have no idea how difficult it is to sell that market.

    Next, if the market is not desperate, hopefully it's at least passionate. People who are really into stuff, will keep buying things related to what they are interested in.

    Market research is a very important skill and doing it in depth and properly is something most people don;t know how to do or really need to do. In lots of cases a few simple litmus tests are more then enough.

    Don't get hung up on things gurus say that conflict with another guru says. Your best bet is to pick a small group of reputable people who teach what you want to learn and just study them while ignoring the rest.

    To many cooks in the kitchen will leave you with nothing, but something that smells quite foul.
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    • Profile picture of the author RonRea
      Hi thegoddessofeleven,

      I hope 2009 is the year you succeed in reaching all your goals. And you're starting in just the right place.

      I know how tempting it is to get the shiny, new toys (that's what I like to call all the new programs that come out on an almost daily basis in the IM area). Unfortunately, unless you have a firm foundation to build on, it's going to be tough to succeed.

      That's what market research can do for you. And desperate buyers truly are the best buyers there are.

      *************
      Desperate Buyers
      *************
      Desperate buyers are almost always those buyers that have a problem that needs to be solved. Today!

      For example, people with acne can be pretty desperate. They've tried a dozen different products from their local drug store, yet they still have acne.

      They hate it.

      They go out in public and, if it's bad, people look at them differently. They'd like to go on a date with that cute guy/girl in their class, but they have to compete with all the other kids with perfect complexions.

      No matter what they do, they just can't get rid of those "horrible, ugly" pimples (and their little brothers and sisters won't let them forget it).

      What do you think they're going to do when someone tells them that they can cure their acne - and get rid of all their problems - in just 3 days! You know it, they're going to jump all over that as fast as they can, no matter what the price!

      Same thing with a dozen other similar problems. Rheumatoid arthritis. Hair loss. Shingles. Lower back pain. Losing their home. On and on we could go. These are going to be people that are desperate for a solution, or even for something that just lessens their problem.

      Desperate people can't sleep at night. They lay in bed staring at the ceiling, praying, worried beyond belief (sometimes scared beyond belief) wondering how they're ever going to solve their problem or get out of the situation they're in.

      They've tried "everything" and nothing works.

      They are, in fact, so focused on their problem and it's solution that they've essentially become irrational about it.

      I'll give you an example. My son had a perfect complexion until he was 13, then he started to get an occasional pimple. Now, if you saw him, you might not even notice that he has a pimple. But to him, when he looks in the mirror he can't see anything else but that pimple.
      At times he stays home and refuses go out in public because of it.

      At times he dreads going to school because "it's so bad". Thoughts of having a blemish, as irrational as they are, make him miserable and he would give every dime he has to not have them anymore. In fact, he'd give every dime he has just to not have them for a few weeks.

      Now, maybe you're thinking that he's too young to be a prospect. Well, you'd get a big "oh really!" for that. Guess what his parents hear all day, every day. Guess what we'd pay to see his pain relieved.

      He's completely irrational...and a great example of a desperate, ravenous prospect for a product that promises to solve his problem quickly and easily.

      These are the absolute easiest people of all to sell to! And, if you have a product that will solve their problem, they are going to be very, very grateful you made it available to them.


      **************
      Passionate Buyers
      **************
      Now, as for passionate buyers, you're going to have to take another angle.

      Passionate buyers are buyers that are absolutely crazy about something. It could be a hobby, it could be a sport, it could be some kind of event (Grateful Dead fans are ravenous), on and on...

      For example, as you have probably heard, golfers are absolutely passionate about their game. I've worked with many golfers and I'm pretty sure they would have sold their 1st born (okay, maybe just their 2nd born) if you could show them a way to beat the crap out of everyone else on the golf course. They were passionate!

      Their passions give them a purpose. Whenever they hear someone else talking about their passion, they are immediately drawn to them. Where you might hear the word "slice" and think of pie, they think of that annoying shot they make every time someone watches them tee off. And if you learn to use their language, they will be drawn to you.

      Truly passionate people will spend money, hand over fist, to satisfy their passion.

      You may think that the passionate crowd has to be one that makes a lot of disposable income in order to be able to "waste" it on something discretionary like a hobby, or a pet, or gambling, or whatever. That's not necessarily true.

      A passionate buyer may work their job at McDonalds, make $400 a month, and spend $380 of it on online gaming or cheats.

      Logic is suspended. Emotion takes over, and ravenous buyers always buy on emotion.


      ************
      Which is Better?
      ************
      So which type is better, desperate or passionate?

      That's hard to say, you really can make a lot of money off both. To me though, desperate buyers are, all in all, far easier to sell to but can also be more difficult to deal with.

      After all, if you're promoting a diet on how to lose 18 lbs in 31 days and that person doesn't lose 18 lbs, guess what. You could very well be hearing from them.

      Passionate people are a little less easy to sell to, but a lot easier to satisfy.

      Often times if they get just one new tip/technique/method out of your information, they're really happy.

      So which should you go with.

      That depends on a lot of factors but, in the end, it's up to you. You know your own personality, your goals, and who you would deal with best.

      ***********
      The Real Trick
      ***********
      They trick, though, isn't in just finding desperate or passionate buyers, it's in find desperate, passionate buyers that are ravenous.

      Ravenous like your dog after you went to the relatives all day and forgot to feed them. You come home and offer them a piece of the hotdog you've left in your frig and they want it so bad that they practically snatch it out of your hand, along with a few fingers, before your even finished offering it to them.

      Find those buyers, the RAVENOUS ones, and your set for life.

      Best of luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author James Schramko
    Sell to a crowd of people who want to buy something and can't get it already.
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  • Profile picture of the author surenpp
    you may like to read this warrior post
    http://www.warriorforum.com/adsense-...imization.html
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  • Profile picture of the author Kelly Verge
    Can't remember who it was, so I can't give proper credit, but a Warrior did a follow-along watch-me-as-I-do-it lesson, and his niche was worm farming. He posted not too long ago showing his income from this project and it was respectable.

    I can't imagine that worm farmers are desperate.

    There are many, many different means to the same end. Pick one. Give it serious effort. Don't stop. Odds are that you'll have some level of success after a few months of furious activity. If you only give it a few hours of effort, you likely won't have any success.

    Then analyze your results and do more of what's working and less of whatever isn't.
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    • Profile picture of the author RonRea
      Kelly, you're right. Earth worm farmers are not desperate, but they are passionate.

      Theres a great little website I like to use that tells you just what people are buying from magazines.

      According to this site, the top selling magazine product is about earth worm farming. In fact, there are 11 top selling products dealing with earth worms. Guess what one of my niche sites is about?

      There's a bunch of other good ideas in this site too. Passionate sells, but I know that desperate sells too...really well.
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