56 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
56 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

over $77,000 in WSO sales. What I've learned

by nicholasb
43 replies
1. Giving the people what they want isn't always best.

Because what people want isn't what they need. Sometimes they need a good kick in the ass, and that is what will move people to the next level.

2. Treat your students like diamonds and gold, but don't let them take advantage of you.

Until I figured this out my life was a living hell. Answering email after email. All I was doing for 12 hours or more a day was nothing but answering emails.

You have to be willing to help your students, but you only get so much for $17

But because I treated everyone so well, it has led to many $2,500 and 20% royalty clients. Make sure to define the boundary, of helping and letting people walk all over you. You can only bend over backwards and kiss so much ass

3. No matter what the reason or excuse always process the refund without question.

I've always been happy to do that, with the power of the internet your name and company can be smeared in a matter of seconds. Don't risk it. The customer isn't always right.. But sometimes you have to tuck your tail between your legs and do whats best for the long term of your business

4. Build a business and don't just launch products

you're only as good as your last launch, focus on repeat customers by delivering great products and service, develop great relationships and don't burn bridges.

5. Save your money and re-invest it wisely

$70,000 may seem like a lot but it's not if you piss it all away on dumb stuff trying to impress people...


My life has never been better and WSO's have been a great launching pad, that has led me to many great things.... Use it wisely and avoid costly mistakes.
#$77 #learned #sales #wso
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    $70,000 over what period of time?

    I see your join date is July 2008.
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089113].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Thanks Nicholas.

    Quick question if you don't mind.

    With WSO's, are you able to successfully funnel buyers back onto your own properties/websites to onsell them? Is this always part of your strategy?
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089132].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
      yes that has been a part of my strategy from the very beginning.

      Every single one of my upsells have been done without warriorplus, and outside of the WSO marketplace....

      When you treat your students right after the initial sale, they are very receptive to higher priced offerings, and affiliate offers that have been personally tested and demonstrated effective by you.

      I treat my students as if they are my own children, protecting them from shitty offers, and keeping them away from the sharks.


      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      Thanks Nicholas.

      Quick question if you don't mind.

      With WSO's, are you able to successfully funnel buyers back onto your own properties/websites to onsell them? Is this always part of your strategy?
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089146].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RogueOne
    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

    3. No matter what the reason or excuse always process the refund without question.
    Why do so many people not get this. I've had to start a dispute with Paypal over a $7 ebook. The seller held out to the end. Needless to say they lost me as a potential future customer.
    Signature
    Get Off The Warrior Forum Now & Don't Come Back If You Want To Succeed!
    All The Real Marketers Are Gone. There's Nothing Left But Weak, Sniveling Wanna-Bees!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089137].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
      This infuriates me, one of the things I make sure to do is provide great support, make myself easily accessible, and make the buying experience as enjoyable as possible.

      Many WSO sellers don't realize Lifetime Value of a customer is more important than the initial sale.

      They dig their own graves this way and it's unfortunate this happens.


      Originally Posted by RogueOne View Post

      Why do so many people not get this. I've had to start a dispute with Paypal over a $7 ebook. The seller held out to the end. Needless to say they lost me as a potential future customer.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089157].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    Oh have I been there...

    Sometimes it can help you though... an additional PDF and video can make a great addition to the course that may have not originally been planned when the product was on the drawing board...

    It can even help raise the value of the product...

    I've been guilty of being the doormat though and it's not a fun place to be...

    Originally Posted by Art of Marketing View Post

    Thanks for the great insights Nicholas.

    I was personally assisting someone totally complimentary because they reached out to me and I actually took the time to put some detailed instructions in a PDF form for the person to learn from or do what he wished with it.

    He sent me a reply email that asked...Hey can you put that in Video Form?

    Life always amazes.

    -Art
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089163].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    my life was a living hell
    I guess it depends on what you settle for. Being accessible 24/7, spending 80 hours a week helping others with their business simply because they bought a $7 ebook, which you may have made almost nothing from after paying an affiliate, creating videos because 1 person requests it, and then processing the ungrateful twits refund request because you're afraid they might say something bad about you.

    You ended up making how much per hour?

    I have a different take, one which Dan Kennedy seems to agree with ....

    Your "gold" customers are your friends and family you will do anything for. I do. Midnight phone calls, weekend assistance, drop what you are doing to help them out, etc.

    Then there are your ungrateful, unwilling to do simple Bing searches to find an answer, unwilling to lift a finger to do something themselves, time sucking, freebie-hunting customers who don't deserve refunds (if you have a no refund policy), a minute more of your time, and hopefully you banned them in WarriorPlus because you do not want them to buy any more of your products.

    You have a business to run, and that means being responsible to yourself, and to allow time to help your gold customers, by not wasting your life.

    If you could make $77,000 ($25,000 per year during your 3 years, or about $2000 per month) and have your life be a living hell, or make half that and have a great and enjoyable life, I'll choose the latter.

    That's the point of having your own business.

    Getting back to your numbers.

    12 hours a day is 4380 hours per year. Assume you did take time off, (hopefully) exaggerated the time, and it was only 2000 hours spent on support, to make $25,000 netted you $12.50 per hour. Not including time to create the products. Plus the opportunity cost of what you could have made using that time more productively.

    Depending on your cost of living, this is either a huge disaster or absolutely wonderful.

    If someone enjoys offering their time for free to help others, and there is nothing wrong with that, and I encourage charity work, then this is a perfect lifestyle.

    .
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089715].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author J Bold
      Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

      I guess it depends on what you settle for. Being accessible 24/7, spending 80 hours a week helping others with their business simply because they bought a $7 ebook, which you may have made almost nothing from after paying an affiliate, creating videos because 1 person requests it, and then processing the ungrateful twits refund request because you're afraid they might say something bad about you.

      You ended up making how much per hour?

      I have a different take, one which Dan Kennedy seems to agree with ....

      Your "gold" customers are your friends and family you will do anything for. I do. Midnight phone calls, weekend assistance, drop what you are doing to help them out, etc.

      Then there are your ungrateful, unwilling to do simple Bing searches to find an answer, unwilling to lift a finger to do something themselves, time sucking, freebie-hunting customers who don't deserve refunds (if you have a no refund policy), a minute more of your time, and hopefully you banned them in WarriorPlus because you do not want them to buy any more of your products.

      You have a business to run, and that means being responsible to yourself, and to allow time to help your gold customers, by not wasting your life.

      If you could make $77,000 ($25,000 per year during your 3 years, or about $2000 per month) and have your life be a living hell, or make half that and have a great and enjoyable life, I'll choose the latter.

      That's the point of having your own business.

      Getting back to your numbers.

      12 hours a day is 4380 hours per year. Assume you did take time off, (hopefully) exaggerated the time, and it was only 2000 hours spent on support, to make $25,000 netted you $12.50 per hour. Not including time to create the products. Plus the opportunity cost of what you could have made using that time more productively.

      Depending on your cost of living, this is either a huge disaster or absolutely wonderful.

      If someone enjoys offering their time for free to help others, and there is nothing wrong with that, and I encourage charity work, then this is a perfect lifestyle.

      .

      Ya but he wasn't saying that was his only income, just the front-end of the WSO.

      If you're doing things properly, that $77K of WSO sales should become $77K pure profit on the backend, as well.

      And he explained in the OP that some of those buyers became $2,500 clients (and 20% royalty clients, which can really add up as well) which I think you've ignored, here. $77K is just the front-end, and looks like he's been doing very well on the backend and grown from there.

      Not to mention he probably had other campaigns in other niches he was running that made him money around which he based some of his WSOs.

      You've kind of seized upon that $77K without realizing that's not his whole income, and probably less than half of the whole business he was running.

      You should probably check out his second post on the thread:

      http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post8089129
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090688].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by J Bold View Post

        Ya but he wasn't saying that was his only income, just the front-end of the WSO.

        If you're doing things properly, that $77K of WSO sales should become $77K pure profit on the backend, as well.

        And he explained in the OP that some of those buyers became $2,500 clients (and 20% royalty clients, which can really add up as well) which I think you've ignored, here. $77K is just the front-end, and looks like he's been doing very well on the backend and grown from there.

        Not to mention he probably had other campaigns in other niches he was running that made him money around which he based some of his WSOs.

        You've kind of seized upon that $77K without realizing that's not his whole income, and probably less than half of the whole business he was running.

        You should probably check out his second post on the thread:

        http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post8089129
        On the same token you need to remember that the majority of WSO sales nowadays are affiliate driven. So when someone tells you they made $77,000 worth of WSO sales don't for a minute think that is what they put in their pocket. In a lot of cases what they walked away with would be less than half that figure. It all depends how much of their sales were affiliate driven and what percentages they were giving their affiliates.

        But $77,000 in WSO sales does NOT mean $77,000 in profit.

        I'm talking from experience having done hundreds of thousands in WSO sales the last 2 years. I've also paid out a lot to affiliates -- a little under a 1/3 of my total profit. But most of the other 2/3 of my profit would not have come about without those affiliates.

        But WSO's are leads to an end. You monetize those leads other ways after getting them.
        Signature

        .


        .

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091711].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author alvinchua91
    $77000 is a lot from WSO sales.. I like your points 3 and 4.. It's all about treating it like a REAL business; only then will our Internet income grow.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089848].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author markobrien
      Some very good points here. I think IM is like any other business the hard work you put in, and the building of client relationships, cannot be valued in an hourly wage format. Also the refund without question should be noted, bad rep is not worth the few $
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8089877].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    2. Treat your students like diamonds and gold, but don't let them take advantage of you.

    Until I figured this out my life was a living hell. Answering email after email. All I was doing for 12 hours or more a day was nothing but answering emails.

    You have to be willing to help your students, but you only get so much for $17
    I agree entirely with this quote. Customer support, if you're running a one-man operation, can totally bottleneck your business, specially if you're mass-selling low-ticket products. I know because I used to spend hours every day answering emails before I hired a full time customer support assistant.

    So yes, treating your customers like GOLD is all cool and dandy, but... can you really and feasibly provide GOLD customer support for a $17 sale?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090224].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

    3. No matter what the reason or excuse always process the refund without question.
    .
    I'd certainly want to know why the refund was filed.

    It's a primary feedback opportunity for improving your product / future products and in many cases the refund can be avoided. Sometimes people just need to know there's someone available to help (regardless of openly offering email / helpdesk support) and once you establish contact there's a strong possibility of retraction and the opportunity for you to shine as someone who gives a damn. Simple leverage principle.

    You can also separate the wheat from the chaff too - undesirable folk who are untoward in their attitudes and unwilling. You can gain personal insight of peple during the refund enquiry process. This helps to clean out your list.

    There are few businesses in the "real world" that would refund without question.

    "Fighting" a refund is another matter entirely though...


    Daniel
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090385].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    $77000 is a lot from WSO sales..
    Says you :-)

    Cheers,
    Steve
    Signature

    Not promoting right now

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090663].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    I provide world-class service (heck I just phoned a new customer, personally, on a sunday, to thank him for buying a high-ticket item, and asking what his goals are).... but I do absolutely state that email support for asking advice etc isn't included; only for things like help I lost my password types of questions. Proactively being world-class in service means you have to help your customers understand the difference between the types of emails/tickets you can, vs can't help them with. Otherwise you end up with hundreds of "that guy" who send 15 emails asking followup questions for weeks about a $97 webinar you did, etc... So making it clear about what you can vs can't include for the price of whatever they pay, is an absolute big lesson learned. Back in the 90s, I was thrilled to spend 2-3 hours a day answering hundreds of emails a week personally. Now not so much lol.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090710].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SlicedGenius
      Originally Posted by kencalhn View Post

      Otherwise you end up with hundreds of "that guy" who send 15 emails asking followup questions for weeks about a $97 webinar you did, etc...
      I think you've illustrated a point there, that it's different for everyone depending on where they are in their business growth. As you say, you were happy to spend more time in the early days, but not now.

      Yet I'm sure there are many folk out there that would sell their soul to get hundreds of people to pay for a $97 webinar! Regardless of the follow up support.

      But you have to strike a balance: what you provide now, is what people will expect in the future. But the time you can spare now will not be the same down the line.
      Signature
      Hot Topics PLR Pack - Get five high quality, exclusive reports on some of the hottest topics in IM. Complete with squeeze pages and e-covers.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092078].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Duvallmarketers
    Thanks for the advice.

    I'm just starting and looking forward to the journey.
    Signature

    Brian Duvall, CEO
    DuvallMedia.com
    We build market leaders!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090964].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author World Marketing
    Really impressive thanks for sharing your insights!
    Signature

    I make $5,000+ a month online [CLICK HERE] to see how you can do the same starting today!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8090988].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Congrats on the milestone nicholas. $77,000 is alot of money from only 1 marketing medium... you make me want to launch my own WSO lol. Congrats again!
    Signature
    ==>> Free book reveals make money with affiliate marketing
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091006].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Congrats on the milestone nicholas. $77,000 is alot of money from only 1 marketing medium... you make me want to launch my own WSO lol. Congrats again!
      Curious as to why you haven't launched on so far considering you appear to be in the IM niche and very active on the forum?
      Signature
      ATTENTION WARRIOR: INCREDIBLE NEW POST AT NICHEHACKS.COM
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091171].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
        Originally Posted by RockingLastsForever View Post

        Curious as to why you haven't launched on so far considering you appear to be in the IM niche and very active on the forum?
        The short answer is because i'm very busy with my marketing everyday - along with my job. I'm a computer network technician, and when i get home from work, the last thing i want to do is create another product. So i just follow my daily marketing plan, lift weights, eat dinner, chill with my girl, then sleep. I'm very active on the forum, and very active with other marketing strategies also.
        Signature
        ==>> Free book reveals make money with affiliate marketing
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8103652].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Nayyte
    Great tips Nicholas! Thanks for sharing. Do you happen to have an e-book on how to create a quality wso?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091067].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sam Mann
    You are right. One pissed of customer is worse then HELL.
    Signature

    Still a struggling newbie? Click here to discover how to make money online.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091148].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Noel2010
    That's a significant amount for me and I want to make that much next year. Great post.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091384].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author goindeep
    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

    4. Build a business and don't just launch products

    $70,000 may seem like a lot but it's not if you piss it all away on dumb stuff trying to impress people...
    Stand outs for me.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091462].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

    with the power of the internet your name and company can be smeared in a matter of seconds. Don't risk it. The customer isn't always right.. But sometimes you have to tuck your tail between your legs and do whats best for the long term of your business
    So true. I learned this lesson the hard way.

    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091504].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author curly sue
      well done Nichola, and thanks for such good advice.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091543].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JasonBennet
    Thanks for sharing this great post. I agree with the point on reinvesting parts of the profits back to the business so that the business can grow. I personally will try to give as much help as I can to the customer and proceed to process any refunds if the customer requested for it. There are more than enough customers in the market and my job is simply to look for them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8091809].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FitMarketer
    Really great post.
    There are definatly some pieces of advice I have taken on board with this.

    I am in the process of launching my first WSO here on the forum

    I will consider your advice on refunding no questions asked and also saving money and re investing. That is very wise
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092149].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author eugenedm
    Good insight!

    I agree that you should not let clients over you, but there's a FINE line.

    You need to help them but you might end up broke, yet don't be an #$%hole....
    Signature

    WARNING: A 50 Million Dollar Man Taught Me His Secret... Which Resulted 6,000 Sign-ups on My Email List.

    "It's easier than you think..."

    => Watch this video here...
    Build Your List to 6,000 Subscribers

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092303].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author KevinChapman
    Thank you for the great tips, love this one especially.

    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

    4. Build a business and don't just launch products

    you're only as good as your last launch, focus on repeat customers by delivering great products and service, develop great relationships and don't burn bridges.
    I'll definitely be making a note of these for the future!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092388].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author adeelv
    Thanks for the tips - did you employ any paid ads?
    Signature
    700% more email subs? Check out *Research infographic on Marketing profs* - one of world's renowned marketing journals.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092773].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
    Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post


    3. No matter what the reason or excuse always process the refund without question.

    I've always been happy to do that, with the power of the internet your name and company can be smeared in a matter of seconds. Don't risk it. The customer isn't always right.. But sometimes you have to tuck your tail between your legs and do whats best for the long term of your business
    100% YES!

    I offer either 30 or 60 day refund periods on my eBook and Course, and have a no quibble policy.

    Not only that, but I go one step further...I THANK them for looking over my course and eBook, I say SORRY for it not being what they are looking for, and I wish them LUCK for the future.

    You would not believe the amount of people who then come back and actually purchase something else, or in some cases, they have actually bought the same product again and not asked for a refund.

    Refunds are part of IM. Excellent point.
    Signature


    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8092983].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Gengis
    Congrats on your success.

    Gengis
    Signature
    My Craigslist Arbitrage Method Of Making Money On Demand -->

    http://www.warriorplus.com/w/v/f2fwlp
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8093039].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author katherineolga
    Thank you for sharing these tips! I would love to start posting WSO's when the time is right. The refund thing is so important - I've asked for theme before and love it when they are prompt. I've turned around and purchased other things from the seller in the future because they were so prompt and it gave me a good feeling.
    Signature
    Limited Time Offer for Warriors - 10 Articles for $50


    Writing and Marketing for Success - My Online Business Journey
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8093065].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kroncept
    Excellent advice!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8103877].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author megalinktraffic
    that was a simple and frank share..
    thanks for your open talk..
    Signature
    Kata Technik Powerful Easy System to Earn Fast..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8103934].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nickykay
    Thanks for these really great and inspiring words, makes me think I should also get over my fears and work on a WSO, but I actually get intimidated when I buy some of them because of the quality and intensity of the work that goes into them. I'm still in that "what do I have to offer" mode, and the "that WSO captures it perfectly" mode too!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8104222].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stevie C
    I've purchased Nicks WSO's in the past and they have always been quality, when I emailed him a question he replied within 24hrs - hope I'm not one of the guys that made his life hell!
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8106051].message }}

Trending Topics