Relationship or Just for money?

I truly believe the key is coupling the power of story and experience with the journey. Some of the most successful bloggers/IMers online, at least from what I've seen, have shared at least a somewhat intimate insight into who they are as people. Through this level and transparency and connection, relationships naturally ensue. Some people will be attracted, while others won't care. It's not your job to cater to everyone. Cater to the ones who DO care.

Content, relevance to your audience and rapport.

Building relationships as much as you can. Knowing someone 1 on 1 is the best way to know their particular needs. I know this for a fact because I do seminars and I could never sell $500 to $5,000 coaching without talking to people face to face or over the phone. Why? There's a point of intimacy. We all know that building relationships is key to impacting emotions but when we can personally build this foundation of relationships then that's when the magic happens because you know exactly what they are feeling and you can convey the clarity in which you are trying to express much more thorough.

This is why brick and mortar businesses work so well. People are to humans before making a purchase rather than making a decision based on some words that are plastered on a website. Video is better but it's still more like a automated sales letter (which works great, still not as good as person to person).

More time consuming yes, more lucrative Yes Sir...

Hope this helps

Warm Regards,

Daniel

For me, it's trust.

I'm an affiliate marketer. I'm not selling anything that I'm the only person selling. I'm often not even selling anything that I'm the only person selling to the same people. So I make sales only when my customers trust me enough to buy through my affiliate links. To me, that seems to be almost entirely relationship-based. I can earn a living only by attracting and building a relationship with sufficient numbers of people for whom that can become true. So I have to attract them the same way I'm going to sell to them (continuity), because I know many of them are also on other marketers' lists and some have even previously seen the sales pages of what I'm trying to sell them.

There are other people, also making a living, who have totally different approaches (for example being the only available source of whatever they're selling). But for affiliate marketing, it's more or less "relationship", I think. Which is yet another reason (as if anyone needed one) why it's such a mistake to try to do it without list-building.

That's the way to go Rick. I truly believe what you have shared because that is something most of us, at the most I know of, had similar kind of situation and with time, the existing customers saw the VALUE that we provided and that made them to come back again for more.

Yes, true. The trust and relationship are going hand-in-hand in your case as an affiliate marketer. You are very true in saying that, all those we promote to are also prone to the same sales page through other marketers too, and the question arises here... Will they buy from me or from some one else?

The answer is obvious... They will buy from whom they trust the most.

Trust comes from building relationship. Period.

Very well said, Daniel. You have hit the nail hard.

I personally have liked the inclusion of 'Intimacy'. It really matters and you've explained it well.

I would say relationship.....With the money.

One more for relationship... thanks CL Dominator.

Relationships

That's the biggest factor in making money.

To build on this, relationships are also the reason why you will not only make money, but, you may also find that people literally go out of their way to actually use your affiliate link. Nothing is secret anymore online. While there are certainly people out there who don't know or understand how affiliate links work, with each day many people are becoming cognizant to the fact that, if they click your link and decide to make a purchase, YOU will earn a commission. I say don't even try to hide it any longer. It's like a once taboo topic that people side-stepped intentionally for years. Be completely transparent (not to mention, FTC disclosures actually REQUIRE this anyway), and let the people who like you continue to like you. If they don't like you, they'll just move on. You can't please everyone, but, the one's you CAN please you can take the relationship to a whole new level of meaning and trust.

If you want to last long in ANY type of business, the relationship with your customer comes FIRST. Money will come later. Try to do it the other way around and you'll fail as they'll see through you. Think in terms of value you bring to your readers and friends.

It really depends. Solutions don't require relationships. That's what you and I as information marketers typically sell: solutions. And an information product (just like a physical product) is a solution to a problem.

Plain and simple.

You almost never NEED a relationship with somebody to sell them a solution. The problem is, when your competition is selling a similar product to yours. How do you differentiate?

Trust is a good place to start. Hence, the relationship.

"I'm your friend, I know how you feel, and here's proof..." is a lot more powerful than saying, "My thing is better. Actually, it's the best there is. So get it."

That's what everyone else is saying. So it's kind of a waste of breath.

But I'm sure you and I could both come up with a long list of "just gotta have it solved now" problems where trying to build a relationship first, before providing the solution, would be counter productive.

Marc

PS. Drugs are a good example of a product that really doesn't require a pre-existing relationship. Think about it. How many words do you think it takes to sell cocaine to a coke fiend?

Just one:

"Cocaine?"

Shortest sales pitch ever.

x3xsolxdierx3x, you quoted it right. Relationship could get stronger when you show transparency. When we tell the list, that we will earn money, if you click on our affiliate link and buy, somehow trust is getting instilled in their mind because of transparency.

Thanks MissTerraK, ofcourse Relationships brings in loyal and repeat customers.

cypherslock, People see value you are bringing for them. It is always for them and not for us. A perception of help will take us higher, always.

Marc Rodill You mentioned - Trust is a good place to start. Hence, the relationship.

How is the trust achieved? It is as far as I am concerned, through relationships. If a doctor prescribes a drug, we just buy that particular drug because we trust doctors. Obviously there could not be a direct relationship between doctors and us but we are made to go to a certain doctor because of his past successful cases which was capable of solving or providing 'solution' to their patients.

The doctor's past successful 'campaigns', his successful 'solutions' to patients, the repetitive 'trust' by his patients makes him popular and that is how we are able to choose one from many... the same scenario prevails in almost all the industry.

Well those are my thoughts, subject to debate...!

Depends what type of business you're in.

If you're in the "expert" or "guru" routine; relationships are absolutely potent.

I could argue that in other avenues, relationships aren't that important.

If you're a rocketscientist, plumber, pastry chef, programmer, or graphic designer maybe relationships aren't as important?

But... Relationships never hurt; especially if you really want to create longterm recurring potential with each prospect.

To make a long story short it depends upon your business plan, your intentions, and what kind of business you're in.

But relationships never hurt... Right?

I agree with you. Trust is established through relationships. At least, it's one of the ways. But about your other point: I still agree. Yes. People clearly place a lot of trust in doctors.

(Maybe too much trust.)

It could be argued that a lot of that trust exists sans a relationship, but obviously that's not always the case. Nor is the it true that because they trust, they have a relationship.

But I see your point. Yet in my example, I meant illicit drugs people use recreationally, not drugs prescribed by your doc for a wide variety of health problems and aliments.

As for facts about docs...

Most people don't "comparison shop" their doctors like they would a car. (They probably should, but they don't.) Truth be told, most of us go "under the knife" before getting second opinions...

...because of the perceived trust.

That's a serious deal.

Fact is though, doctors are human plain and simple. They make mistakes and they misdiagnose. And another thing. Their failures ain't exactly "on display" in their offices for the world to see.

Here's the opening sentence of a revealing press release:

You can read the full press release and article here:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/1...we-trust/?_r=0

What's revealing is that patients tend to "like" doctors who approached them warmly, focused on them, and appeared genuinely concerned about them...

...and disliked doctors who were "rushed" or "distracted" (and thus, didn't pay much attention to them; ie. diagnosed them with a grunt and no eye contact).

No shock there.

That's how regular joes like you and I make judgments about how much we "like" everyone we communicate with. "Does this person listen to me?" "Are they nice (warm) to me?"

Bad social skills don't mean you got a bad, poorly trained, dumb doc. Just not one you'd want to have as your doctor. And that's me included. But logically? It has little to do with medical skill.

And truth be told...

Most of us regular folk don't know how to differentiate that anyway.

More revealing info for the lulz:

Marc

Finding a niche that people are hungry for information, are willing to pay through the nose to get, but that very few people have bothered to contribute information to.

I feel like my list members are on my list because they want information. So i give it to them. I don't really build a relationship with them like that (unless they buy - then i offer free support)... the most i'd do is tell them a personal story about myself every once and a while, and overwhelm them with good content - and a forum.

The key to making money on the internet is no different than a brick and mortar business,. Its supply and demand with a little more depth.

You have to supply a great product that people demand and then you have to give them 110 percent satisfaction.

How many old farts here like me have seen customer service to be non existent now a days.

If you offer even a so so product but you give them your heart, ;you will win.

When I was a restaurant manager my analogy was this.

You have two Tex Mex restaurants on the same street.
One has the best food. You write your mom about it because it is so good.
The other has so so food.

The one with exceptional food has the worst customer service you ever experienced.
The one with so so food makes you feel like your with family for an hour.

Which one you going to visit. Im going with the so so food and seeing the family.

The key to making money is to have a product people want, and know how to properly describe it to them.

Relationships are for people with products customers don't want.

You have no relationship with Coke and Pepsi ... they market the product so you learn it exists, and you either want it or you don't. Being "friends" with the CEO of the Coca Cola company won't make you want to pour yourself a glass if you aren't a fan of the product.

The Key to making money is quite simple... Find a problem that people are experiencing then help them solve that problem while getting paid to do so.

To be a little more specific, you want to find a group of people that have a common problem -- then help them for FREE as much as you can.

The best value you can give them is real results that you have personally experienced -- so they know first hand what has and has not worked for you.

After you provide them will MASSIVE value -- then you want to promote a product you created or someone else has that will further enhance the training and information you have your subscribers.

So in short the key to making money is to develop a great relationship with your prospects by giving them massive value for free -- then coupling that with a great product that will work well with what your teaching.

Normally, money cannot be found lying somewhere. But it is with people. So I think you have to be good with people to get it. How can you be good with people? By helping them solve their problems or fulfill their dreams. That leads to mutual benefit. No one should cheat the other.

I believe that what really matters is to be trusted by your customers. They will trust you if you will give them the information they need to understand that you are an expert in your field, and if you will have the right social image.

You don't need to build relationships to make sales, but you have to build a relationship with every customer you can (this is not always possible) if you want to have repeat customers, and if you want to see everyone around them becoming your customers too.

Your customers must feel that they have many advantages because they are your customers.

with social media playing such a major role in IM today, i'd say building a relationship is even more important than before. many are doing this by having private or closed facebook groups and it works very well for connecting with their customers by giving good quality content and advice that complements what they are selling.

at the end of the day I'd say building a relationship and having a responsive list will outweigh a big list.

at the end of the day, would you buy something based on trusted friend's recommendation or just someone you met once or twice?

There's no need to over complicate this with "relationships" and what not.

In order to make money, you simply need to provide a product/service that addresses a specific need/desire from a reasonably sizable audience. End of the story.

There are many companies that don't try to develop any "fuzzy relationship" with the customer and they are very successful. Hell, Google themeselves are very hermetic in their relationship to their users. The trick here is to indeed provide that desired/needed product or service, not getting all warm and cozy with your prospects.

The focal point isn't the same all the time, at least for me.

My main website (rock and gem hunters) is relationships. The real information flows behind the scenes between members who have become friends and business associates through the forum. You don't get the real skinny until your in the relationships. The people I've made friends with on my site (we meet in person rather frequently) are worth having as friends even when business is not involved. We have a blast together. Money and business is almost just a sideline on that one.

With other things it's getting good info out to people who want and need it. Then there's another end that is mostly making a product for the money......a good product of quality, but the end result is not to make friends - it's to make money.

Only you can decide which type of project you are working on. Of course, some with the focal point of making the bucks still takes a little bit of allowing people to get to know you as Soldier pointed out. So you have to be willing to be your own real person behind your products at least until your products are known well enough to speak for themselves.

I think it's relationships - and more specifically, the trust in those relationships. Most people are not willing to buy information products from random people they know nothing about so I feel the most important thing is to build a trusting relationship with customers.

Relationships are what make the world go around. I've always concentrated on building great relationships and the reason being is that, you never know who will need you or if you'll need them.

I came from a city comprised of the good ole boy network (where 20% of the city runs 80%. I think every city is like this). And it took me a while (almost 2yrs) to build relationships in that circle. BUT I sold my services to that group over and over and over again.

One more case. I recently built and launched an iphone app that's getting some great attention. But if I never met the guys in this good ol boy network and if they introduce me to another guy.... who introduce me to another guy.... I wouldn't have found my cofounder who to me is the #1 UI/UX guy in the country.

I would have never gotten the NY Times if I didn't meet a guy out of the group above who invited me to his wedding.... and introduce me to another guy.... who knew a girl with a contact to NY Times....

Anyway you see where I'm getting at here. Money is just a by-product of great relationships. As it stands I could go start selling gas containers and I bet I can find someone in the relationships I've built that knows someone in the purchasing dept at Walmart.

How do you build these relationships?

"You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

The more relations (contacts) you have, the more money make! Trust me on this!!

Giving people what they want.

Honestly, i see people saying relationship and relationship is great but more people buy from instinct and impulse rather than relationship. I.E. I bought my first samsung galaxy note 2 phone not because i had any relationship with samsung but because of Impulse, I saw the phone and liked it and wanted it now. People will first buy then rationalize why they purchase. So if a product is good enough people will buy it now if you go and insult their intelligence or do something to piss them off then it goes without saying they wont buy from you in the future. So yes relationship does play its part but primarily most people buy from DESIRE.

a burning desire combined with strong will. A determination, that is the key! if you are not good at relationships, try to tech things, it is the same. All you want is good money to live, not the richest man in the world, it is easy to get some money by doing whatever you like and forget about all the obstacle.

You should try and build a relationship with your subscribers for sure.
Send them valuable content...free ebooks, reports, interesting blog posts, news etc.
Don't bombard them with offers constantly.
Sometimes though having a great relationship does not mean they will open your mail or even buy from you.