Unbelievable "JV" email

78 replies
I removed the sender's identifying info, but it's as received otherwise.

---- 8< ----

G'day (potential) fellow online business partner,

My name is [name removed] and the reason I'm mailing you is I'm new to the online game and I'm building my list. I'll make this short and sweet. I don't necessarily have a "product" but what I can offer you is exposure to many other marketers lists. It works like this...

* You send your list (or a specific list) to my site

* Once someone submits their contact info they are taken to my blog

* The blog will have a short interview posted that you and I have conducted

* Within or at the end of the interview I will have a hoplink promoting your product of choice

* This blog will also have all other marketers interviews and products within it. The beautiful part is every other list that it sent here will have the opportunity to buy your product as well. They may have been sent from someone elses list and end up buying your product!

The website to check out is Example Web Page

If interested please reply INTERVIEW in the subject line.

I will then send you an interview which includes 10 questions. Feel free to make your answers as short or long as possible. Please just be sure to include real substance as I aim to provide valuable content to my list. Thank you.

P.S. The first 6 to reply will also get to have a short testimonial on the main website along with example.com on the bottom of the testimonial box.

Thanks for your time.



[name removed]

---- >8 ----
#email #unbelievable
  • Profile picture of the author SullyUI
    Looks like this guy should win a Darwin marketing award.
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    Paul,

    Can you tell me his details? I'd like to take him up on it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tinkerbell
    Paul,

    What a great opportunity!

    Er...not for the JV requester, but for you. Now you can post here and show us the correct method for landing a JV with you.

    I'm all eyes. How should this have been done for a positive response?

    Inquiring minds and all that...

    Tina
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
      Originally Posted by Tinkerbell View Post

      Paul,

      What a great opportunity!

      Er...not for the JV requester, but for you. Now you can post here and show us the correct method for landing a JV with you.

      I'm all eyes. How should this have been done for a positive response?

      Inquiring minds and all that...

      Tina
      Tina,

      Paul actually did this a couple of months back in his ezine.

      In a nutshell (from what I remember)
      • Don't be presumptious
      • Show respect
      • Show you have researched the marketer and his/her field of expertise
      • Give the marketer a concrete and beneficial "reason why" - an irresistible offer
      • Demonstrate that you have something to bring to the table - you're not just after a free ride
      • Don't highlight money to be made. Highlight the benefit to their list
      • In this particular case, spell the word "Myers" correctly
      Martin
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      • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
        Originally Posted by Martin Luxton View Post

        • Don't highlight money to be made. Highlight the benefit to their list
        This is the rule that I see most often violated in the JV emails that I receive.

        Incredibly, most of them spend the whole email talking about the commissions and conversion rate and not one word about what's special about the product. Not one word about who they are and why I should trust them, either.

        For me, this is a complete turnoff, as if I have so little regard for my list that I would offer them anything at all.

        Marcia Yudkin
        Signature
        Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Tina,
      I'm all eyes. How should this have been done for a positive response?
      That's one of the reasons I picked the book I did as a prize. Well, that and the fact that this guy is missing exactly those points...


      Paul
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      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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  • Profile picture of the author John Taylor
    Paul,

    Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

    Feel free to make your answers as short or long as possible.
    And your response...

    The word "Off" preceded by a verb perhaps?

    John
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    John's Internet Marketing News, Views & Reviews: John Taylor Online
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Paul,

      Unreal.

      Although, I suppose, in its own mind, a flea might believe it's having a JV with the dog




      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    Paul, look bud, why don't you just send him your entire list directly and save yourself the hassle of mailing to them
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    I'll help you create a reputation-building evergreen product in any niche and launch it successfully!
    Check it out here.

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  • Profile picture of the author LB
    So this means you won't do it?




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    Click Here.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Garrie,

      PM'd. Just in case you were serious. (I assume very little when my brain is in shock.)

      I need to go take an aspirin.


      Paul
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      .
      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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      • Profile picture of the author Iain Ainsworth
        At least the guy was trying.


        Very.
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      • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        Garrie,

        PM'd. Just in case you were serious. (I assume very little when my brain is in shock.)

        I need to go take an aspirin.


        Paul
        LOL

        Thanks for the PM but no, I wasn't serious.

        The guy could have done so much better if he just asked for an interview then later ask to promote.

        Garrie
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  • Profile picture of the author shinigomi
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
      Originally Posted by shinigomi View Post

      I personally wouldn't do it
      Good call, shinigomi. I'm with you.

      Steve
      Signature

      Not promoting right now

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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
        Okay. I had a banana and a glass of grapefruit juice. I listened to Dumbass (my cat) explain, at great length, why I should let him outside. And I resisted the urge to have a "wee dram."

        Let's turn this lemon into lemonade.

        I've got free copies of my book, "The Dealmaker," for the three best analyses of what's wrong with that proposal. I've got 5 copies for the best posts on what this guy can do to make an attractive deal, working from his base premise (or some other angle, for that matter).

        Note: Garrie has seen the site the guy had made. I think he'll agree that the design is excellent. Very professional. The copy, while over the top, also shows signs of serious effort. And the guy is taking action of a kind that most people never get around to.

        So, why not see if we can help him get somewhere? My first reaction was to send him a sarcastic note, but hey... He's not some lame and lazy loser. Just VERY confused about how to make a deal happen.

        Fire when ready, folks. I'll save my thoughts for later.


        Paul
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        Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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        • Profile picture of the author SullyUI
          Paul, here is my take on what's wrong with the proposal:

          1.) You don't really get anything out of it. You don't need him to recommend a product to your list.

          2.) He makes your list jump through a hoop (opt-in) just to see his blog? You would instantly lose credibility from your list just because of that.

          3.) His traffic guarantee is shaky. He needs to show some kind of proof that you'll get more targeted traffic to your interview than just the traffic from your list.

          I mean this guy could actually build a business around having an "interview blog" where he interviews well known marketers, recommends products, and draw viewers that way, but why do you need to send your list to an interview in order to sell a product?

          All you have to do is sell the product in the e-mail itself, and you would probably do a better job at that with your own copywriting skills.

          To fix the proposal he should:

          A.) Not require your list to opt-in
          B.) Prove it is worth your while to post an interview on his site and send your list to it (established traffic stats).
          C.) Put a visible opt-in box somewhere on his site but not on a squeeze page.

          Then I think he could build a nice list by having lots of good interviews with established marketers and product recommendations and even offer his own reviews.
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          • Profile picture of the author Iain Ainsworth
            What's wrong with the proposal?

            He dosen't ask you for a $500 'goodwill' deposit.

            He dosen't ask for the shirt off your back.

            He makes no mention of the $5,000,000 he needs to deposit into a US bank account and will share the proceeds.

            He forgets to mention the purple pills that will keep you 'functioning' long after the wife has fallen asleep.

            Apart from that - it's good.
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        • Profile picture of the author Floyd Fisher
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Okay. I had a banana and a glass of grapefruit juice. I listened to Dumbass (my cat) explain, at great length, why I should let him outside. And I resisted the urge to have a "wee dram."

          Let's turn this lemon into lemonade.

          I've got free copies of my book, "The Dealmaker," for the three best analyses of what's wrong with that proposal. I've got 5 copies for the best posts on what this guy can do to make an attractive deal, working from his base premise (or some other angle, for that matter).

          Note: Garrie has seen the site the guy had made. I think he'll agree that the design is excellent. Very professional. The copy, while over the top, also shows signs of serious effort. And the guy is taking action of a kind that most people never get around to.

          So, why not see if we can help him get somewhere? My first reaction was to send him a sarcastic note, but hey... He's not some lame and lazy loser. Just VERY confused about how to make a deal happen.

          Fire when ready, folks. I'll save my thoughts for later.


          Paul
          It's all one sided...to his benefit?

          Your list gets sent to his squeeze page to opt in. He gets a list (maybe, if it doesn't piss everyone off), and you don't get squat.

          How to make it better? He would have to change his plan to make it better.

          Drop the squeeze page altogether, and just direct people to the blog itself. The put in a hover popup that tells people 'want to know when this blog is updated, opt in here'.

          Now when he posts the interview with the link to your site, it will start drawing traffic from....search engines! He doesn't need your list anymore, just the interview and offer a link to your site.

          Much better in my opinion, how about yours?
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        • Profile picture of the author John Durham
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Okay. I had a banana and a glass of grapefruit juice. I listened to Dumbass (my cat) explain, at great length, why I should let him outside. And I resisted the urge to have a "wee dram."

          Let's turn this lemon into lemonade.

          I've got free copies of my book, "The Dealmaker," for the three best analyses of what's wrong with that proposal. I've got 5 copies for the best posts on what this guy can do to make an attractive deal, working from his base premise (or some other angle, for that matter).

          Note: Garrie has seen the site the guy had made. I think he'll agree that the design is excellent. Very professional. The copy, while over the top, also shows signs of serious effort. And the guy is taking action of a kind that most people never get around to.

          So, why not see if we can help him get somewhere? My first reaction was to send him a sarcastic note, but hey... He's not some lame and lazy loser. Just VERY confused about how to make a deal happen.

          Fire when ready, folks. I'll save my thoughts for later.


          Paul
          I was feeling sorry for the guy and was gonna say "Man let's give him an E for effort at least..."

          Because we are ignorant in our zealousness doesn't always mean we are bad guys. i admire him for making a try. He is making an effort to see if he can bypass the political BS and just go straight for creating a win/win situation. He wants to work smarter and quantum leap from a-d. Who can blame him for that?

          I was so relieved to hear Pauls response of "let's help the guy". Thank you Paul for restoring some of my faith in humanity. Guess because of your help, he was smart to take that chance, and recieved benefit from putting himself out there like that.

          Bravo. How can I help the man?

          I have only this:

          "Learn the Law of Large numbers, and Learn to bend it to your will".

          If you create a standard template email of the one you sent Paul and send it to thousand's of guru's then you will get your ten interviews.

          Somebody will absolutely say yes to you. That is "knowing" and operating out of the law.

          However;

          If you take Paul and the others advice, then you will be "Bending the law to your will". Learning the proper etiquette for approaching others with your ideas will cause you to get the same ten interviews out of 100 emails sent.

          Learn the law, then learn to bend it to your good.

          Regards,
          John Durham
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      • Profile picture of the author Daniel Molano
        I received the exact same JV request 2 hours ago.

        "The beautiful part is every other list that it sent here will have the opportunity to buy your product as well. They may have been sent from someone elses list and end up buying your product!"


        If Paul is in, heck I'm in!

        And we should convince some gurus to do the same. :p

        Considering the word "Gurus" is within the website URL of the person offering this.

        Otherwise I don't really see what's in it for me...

        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        Note: Garrie has seen the site the guy had made. I think he'll agree that the design is excellent. Very professional. The copy, while over the top, also shows signs of serious effort. And the guy is taking action of a kind that most people never get around to.
        Paul, I would have to agree with that, the website is actually looking quite good.

        - Dan
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        Como Ganar Dinero Por Internet - Spanish Make Money Online Site

        Daniel Molano
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        • Profile picture of the author ExRat
          Hi Paul,

          Garrie has seen the site the guy had made
          Because he *took action* he's already encouraged Paul to make the site *go viral*. Gotta love teh internetz.
          Signature


          Roger Davis

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        • Profile picture of the author milkyway
          Ah, so it was worth pulling up a chair...

          I've got free copies of my book, "The Dealmaker,"
          Alas, I already own a copy if this book. But I'm really tempted... I hope I'm allowed to try my hand anyway?

          Ok, so let's see...

          G'day (potential) fellow online business partner,
          Probably a mass email -- pretty rude considering the he wants something from you...

          My name is [name removed] and the reason I'm mailing you is I'm new to the online game and I'm building my list. I'll make this short and sweet. I don't necessarily have a "product" but what I can offer you is exposure to many other marketers lists. It works like this...
          So he's introducing himself and giving an honest motive -- so far so good. What is missing in my opinion is: who are the other marketers he has contacted? Why would it be interesting for you to get exposure specifically to their lists?

          * You send your list (or a specific list) to my site
          Hm. And why would anybody send their best lists to him?

          * Once someone submits their contact info they are taken to my blog
          Personally, I don't particularly like this forced opt-in, but I can't see why it would hurt you, so let's ignore it...

          * The blog will have a short interview posted that you and I have conducted
          Audio? Video? Text? Who is owning any rights? Who is doing the work, paying for transcription if necessary, etc.?

          * Within or at the end of the interview I will have a hoplink promoting your product of choice
          [bold face by me]

          The phrasing doesn't seem to be particularly well chosen...

          * This blog will also have all other marketers interviews and products within it. The beautiful part is every other list that it sent here will have the opportunity to buy your product as well. They may have been sent from someone elses list and end up buying your product!
          Yeah, and vice versa, of course. Why would you gain more than you could potentially lose? Or, from a different angle: does he really think you are stupid enough not to see the pitfall?

          If interested please reply INTERVIEW in the subject line.
          Last point on the checklist for contacting potential JV partners: "Make it as troublesome for them as possible to answer."

          I will then send you an interview which includes 10 questions. Feel free to make your answers as short or long as possible. Please just be sure to include real substance as I aim to provide valuable content to my list.
          [again, bold face by yours truly]

          Not a bad thing in itself, and I really think you should appreciate this approach, Paul...

          And if he had done any research on you at all and taken the time to personalize his emails, he would have realized that this is like carrying coals to Newcastle...


          P.S. The first 6 to reply will also get to have a short testimonial on the main website along with example.com on the bottom of the testimonial box.
          Again, the phrasing sucks, even if the intention might be good (just my 2 cents, of course) -- suggesting that he'll grant you a favor when you reply soon...

          Thank you.

          Thanks for your time.
          But at least he is polite...

          Now, I'm still thinking about how he could have proceeded. Well, t'was no banana and grapefruit juice for me tonight, more like the wee dram... So I'm still pondering about the path to Paul's email list...

          On the other hand, if I should come up with a good idea, I might just try to offer a JV to you, Paul...

          Now that I come to think about it: You just send your list to me and I'll mention you on my main page. Twice. I'll even make sure to include your name. If you want to make sure that it's spelled correctly, though, you might have to offer me an affiliate commission on all products you sell through my site...

          Thanks for this very informative thread!

          milkyway

          PS: By the way, the book Paul is giving away as prize is definitely worth a read!
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    When did you get so jaded, Paul...?



    He only wants to help...
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    Not promoting right now

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  • Profile picture of the author GrantFreeman
    I can feel a lesson coming on. Pulling up a chair in the front row..
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    • Profile picture of the author TheRichJerksNet
      Originally Posted by GrantFreeman View Post

      I can feel a lesson coming on. Pulling up a chair in the front row..
      If I remember correctly Paul's class does not start until June ..lol Last time I heard there was 4 or 5 people that was going to be in the class.. Looks like Paul just found another one with that email..lol

      James
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      • Profile picture of the author GrantFreeman
        Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet View Post

        If I remember correctly Paul's class does not start until June ..lol Last time I heard there was 4 or 5 people that was going to be in the class.. Looks like Paul just found another one with that email..lol

        James
        Ya. It would be great to hear Paul's own 10 questions to that guy.

        I'd enroll early for Marketing 101- Everything You Need To Know About Joint Ventures.

        Grant
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    Oh Paul...

    This does remind me about a lady who asked to interview me.

    After a few emails, I agreed and then she tells me that she will contact me again in a FEW MONTHS with questions for the phone interview.

    I couldn't believe that she expects me to wait. Needless to say, that will be an interview I don't do if she happens to contact me again.

    Garrie
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  • Profile picture of the author webpromotions
    Sounds like a great opportunity to me.

    This looks like just another case of a 'marketer who hates being marketed to'.

    ...Sorry, couldn't resist.

    (Do I have to put the '/end sarcasm' tag in here or is it automatically applied?)
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  • Profile picture of the author TimGross
    Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

    P.S. The first 6 to reply will also get to have a short testimonial on the main website along with example.com on the bottom of the testimonial box.
    This is my favorite part. In the business, we call that "sweetening the pot".
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Wagoner
    And how many posts have we seen which said :

    "Interview a marketer to use as a product, and offer them rights to it"

    Looks like they took that advice and used it to pester you, Paul.

    Dennis WAgoner
    Signature

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  • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
    G'day (potential) fellow online business partner,
    At least by not using your name he didn't spell it wrong

    the reason I'm mailing you is I'm new to the online game and I'm building my list. . . You send your list (or a specific list) to my site
    I want your list, baby!

    Once someone submits their contact info they are taken to my blog
    And then they are mine!!

    The blog will have a short interview posted that you and I have conducted
    About trout fishing in America, perchance? Paris Hilton's new hairdo?

    Within or at the end of the interview I will have a hoplink promoting your product of choice
    Thank you. I give you my list and you give me a link (will it be clean or with your affiliate ID?)

    This blog will also have all other marketers interviews and products within it. The beautiful part is every other list that it sent here will have the opportunity to buy your product as well. They may have been sent from someone elses list and end up buying your product!
    You two-timer! I thought I was special to you. You called me your "(potential) fellow online business partner".

    If interested please reply INTERVIEW in the subject line.
    How about a phone number?

    Please just be sure to include real substance
    Yep. That's me - Mr "no real substance" man.

    as I aim to provide valuable content to my list
    What about MY list?

    The first 6 to reply will also get to have a short testimonial on the main website along with example.com on the bottom of the testimonial box.
    You mean if I'm real quick I can give you a free testimonial for your site?

    Sign me up. Nobody has ever offered me so much for so little! (or should that be "so little for so much"?)

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    Paul,

    1. Can I plough straight in with WIIFM before anyone else does?

    2. He shows no appreciation for (or understanding of) your relationship with your discipl...I mean...subscribers.

    3. He has nothing...literally...to offer! Just an IOU Promise (can you cash those?)

    4. He addressed you not as "Paul", or "Sir Paul", or at the very least, "Oi, Myers"...but "(potential) fellow online business partner"...hmmm...it could use a bit of..."Hi Paul, I've been a subscriber of TBNews for EVER!...I wonder whether you'd hear me out, and maybe help me out? See, I'm new...."

    Oh, that'll do for now.

    If you ever have a competition for Who Can Miss The 800 Pound Gorilla...please let me know, Paul

    Steve
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    Not promoting right now

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  • Profile picture of the author Rachel Goodchild
    hmmm if I sent out a tweet about you would ya give me your list paul?
    though it may ge lost in all the flirting I seem ot do on twitter.... (which is all about my brand awareness btw! )
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    • Profile picture of the author JP Wilson
      That's absolutely Hilarious Paul! The guy's got some pretty big cajones, that's for sure. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be blessed with a brain that's even half the size...

      Cheers to being completely and utterly oblivious!D
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      • Profile picture of the author Heimir Finnson
        Originally Posted by JP Wilson View Post

        That's absolutely Hilarious Paul! The guy's got some pretty big cajones, that's for sure. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be blessed with a brain that's even half the size...

        Cheers to being completely and utterly oblivious!D
        Okay easy there fellow! There is no need to bash the poor guy and call him stupid or ignorant because he made a bad call!
        At least he took action.
        Signature

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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    He should have bragged how good he is. Just like that. "I can" "i will" "i do".

    Kids love it. Old timers don't. Too bad for him, Mr. Paul Myers its not a kid anymore.
    Signature
    People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author GrantFreeman
    Proposal Problems:

    1. He sent a business proposal to someone that never asked for it. Two more emals like this (legally I think) and that equals spam. He also left no other contact information that a legitimate business would include.

    To people like Paul that put more value on their time, spam has a different definition.

    2. He never took the time to research who he was talking to in the first place:

    "G'day (potential) fellow online business partner"

    It already reeks of a copy & paste email countless others have been sent, without consideration of any details that were specific to the person for which he was addressing. So..

    He cannot show Paul any benifits that are important to him.

    3. If this guy did any research on Paul, he would have at least shown enough respect to address him by Mr. Myers.

    4.This guy assumes the sale with his opener, but loses it at the same time, because of points 1, 2 & 3.

    5. After the opener, he starts talking about himself, where he could have used the same space to show appriciation to the reader, and communicate how this email could help him accomplish something.

    Since he seemed to do no research, he has no idea what that something could be.

    This leaves the guy to ass-u-me way to many things.

    6. The first paragraph also communicates that he's come unprepared because he admits to having no product and he's new to online marketing. So basically, he doesn't have much to offer in the way of a partnership that's of equal or greater value.

    Not much to offer in credibility, how many visitors he gets to his website, or how this email can help Paul. In fact, Paul's headache is probably the result of trying to quiet all the questions that this email creates.

    What blog? What's your site about? What can it do for me? How long have you had this site? What's the blog about? Why should I reply to your email?

    And the biggest question: What's in it for me?

    7. Sounds like too much work for Paul, and this guy can't even provide solid detials or even tell Paul what's to come from all of this once the interview is done.

    I'm trying to imagine right now, that I'm overhearing this conversation in a coffee shop.

    I would have to assume that they already knew each other, that they trusted each other enough to have Paul simply hand over a list of people's email addresses to this guy.

    It's still not an equal trade. Not only would Paul have to do most of the work, but he risks handing over thousands of emails to someone that admits that he doesn't yet know what he's doing.

    -----

    Paul, what I would do to make this benifital to you, if I didn't know you, would be to:

    1. Do my research about what you do, what's important to you, and see how I could help you.

    2. I'd send a series of emails in order to build familiarty with you, and first see if I even liked you enough to create a proposal.

    3. If I liked you enough to start a proposal, I'd create one in your favor where you didn't have to do 80-95% of the work yourself, one that we both agreed on, with little or no risk to you or myself.

    4. From there, the ideas would start flowing. Including viral ones that could lead to upsales or other ideas for later.

    Grant
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    I would have offered to setup each marketers inteview up on a page alone that didn't require your subscribers to opt-in. Your page would also advertise a product of your choice w/out an affiliate link.

    Then on each marketers page, I would provide an opt-in to gain access to the other interviews.

    And since there would be an OTO after the opt-in, your link would be an affiliate link paying 70% commission for OTO sales.

    Then the guy could transcribe the interviews and put links for him to make the bulk of his money. The PDFs could be the OTO or part of it.

    That's the gist of what my offer would include.

    Garrie
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  • Profile picture of the author MelissaChurch
    He definitely didn't make it attractive for you or any of the other massive number of marketers I'm sure he's contacted! That form letter sounds as bad as the telemarketing calls I get on my cell phone. He obviously didn't research you or what you are an expert at.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    Okay. First things first: Only two people who know me offline are allowed to call me "Mr Myers." NOBODY calls me "sir" a second time, unless they want to be ignored.

    We've got some good starts here, but they miss things. For example, Garrie's has some good points, but it calls for an OTO. Problem: The person offering it has no products. And, again, you're looking at sending your own subscribers to someone else's site to buy your products.

    Using the transcriptions as the OTO assumes you get them all done first, and that the people being interviewed see some benefit in providing the content, traffic and product for the deal. It also has the complication of turning the list building draw into a "for sale" product. (The answer to that last one is obvious, but you need to think about how to work with it.)

    Consider what we know about the guy: He's smart enough to get a related domain name and hosting, he can write some form of not-too-horrible sales copy, he's willing to approach people cold, and he's spent money for a professional looking web site.

    How would you use those resources to develop the WII-FM for the interviewees?


    Paul
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      He's also likely gone to a forum (this one?), asked how to make a product when he doesn't know what to do - and been advised "just ask some good marketers to let you interview them."

      At least he's put a unique twist on it....odd, but unique.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
        Simon,

        What's keeping me from doing a joint interview with a friend who has skills and a list of their own, and turning it into a product with value for us both? Why is your suggestion attractive to "me."

        You're on a very good track with the leverage idea, though. That has real potential.


        Paul
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        • Profile picture of the author Simon Ashari
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Simon,

          What's keeping me from doing a joint interview with a friend who has skills and a list of their own, and turning it into a product with value for us both? Why is your suggestion attractive to "me."

          You're on a very good track with the leverage idea, though. That has real potential.


          Paul
          Good point Paul.

          I'll keep thinking of how to make it more attractive.... *thinking*

          til then, look forward to what you have to say on it.


          Simon.

          p.s. Maybe a product that is larger than just an interview? completed mostly by him of course... just another suggestion thrown out there.
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    • Profile picture of the author SullyUI
      With those resources he can create separate offers for each interviewee.

      Each interview can be transcribed into a bonus for purchasing the product. He can also write a short sales letter promoting the interview along with the product. The interview can contain useful information on how to use the product, features, how it's best used, and other exclusive information.

      In order for the list to get access to the bonus interview they have to purchase the product through an affiliate link on his site.

      He can get a small fixed commission from the sales of the product, and both sides win because the interviewee will get better conversions from recommending a product with this unique bonus.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom B
        Banned
        He could have created one product of all interviews and offered to give 100% commissions to the people being interviewed to build his list. To really spice it up he could have had a collection of books from the people being interviewed as a one time offer.
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        • Profile picture of the author Simon Ashari
          Originally Posted by Thomas Belknap View Post

          He could have created one product of all interviews and offered to give 100% commissions to the people being interviewed to build his list. To really spice it up he could have had a collection of books from the people being interviewed as a one time offer.
          ahhhh.

          this is probobly what I was missing in my original suggestion.

          not just the 100% commission (which was a suggestion in my post but not articulated well enough) but also the upsell of all the other interviews with other experts.

          this allows a marketer not only leverage the time of the person conducting the interviews, but also allows him to leverage all the other marketers interviews.

          puts more money in Paul's pocket (or the pocket of whoever else is being interviewed).

          Simon


          p.s. this is one of the most productive threads on the main forum I've seen in a long time... real thought provoking.
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  • Profile picture of the author Simon Ashari
    WIIFM... already been mentioned.

    This marketer should have showed Paul that he would do all the work and that all Paul would have to do is do a 1 hour inverview and email his list.

    Paul (or whoever the business owner being contacted) should know full well that they are being given an opportunity to leverage the time and energy of this up and coming marketer.

    quick summary:

    1. WIIFM

    2. Leverage of the resources of the person asking, by the marketer being approached.


    regards

    Simon
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  • Profile picture of the author metafever
    Great thread . . . I hate to say this, but there is few thread this good on WF . . . I can say while I am new to IM I have tons of marketing experience online (over 7 years full time) . . . . The concepts of IM probably come quicker to someone like me, but in online retail - JV's are a much rarer occurrence.

    Anyway, it's good to see all the insight of some key producers.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
    lol... if I were him, I'd pimp my services out to you for free and try to get into your inner circle
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  • Profile picture of the author John Taylor
    I'd advise the guy to think of himself as a broker.

    His job is then to set up a system something along
    the lines of a co-registration where everyone who
    participates as a "JV Partner" is given the opportunity
    to offer a free report in exchange for an opt-in on the
    guys site.

    That way all JV Partners are promoted to other people's
    lists and the guy gets lots of traffic.

    It's way to early to put any detail on that but I think
    the concept should work.

    John
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    • Profile picture of the author milkyway
      Guys, how is anybody supposed to concentrate on work when there is such an interesting thread lurking in the forum?

      If this guy is able to put up a decently looking web site (or able to pay for it), he might also be able to produce good-quality videos, small scripts etc. As offering to write something for Paul is ridiculous, maybe offering to do some video, audio or some small programming stuff would do the trick?

      In any case, it might be a wise move on his part to approach one other marketer at a time. Once the first person has agreed to a JV, I guess it'd be much easier to convince other people, too.

      As for a JV with Paul: Paul values his list very much. Maybe he could offer to produce something that Paul could give away to his list? Something related to Paul's other products or to things he was recently publishing in his newsletter?

      Maybe take a particular aspect of "Need To Know". Do an in-depth interview with Paul about this aspect (audio or video, with transcript). Depending on the topic, this guy could also produce another video showing step-by-step how to do some technical stuff with relevance to this problem, or some small script which would help with the aspect in question.

      Then, he could add a small and unobtrusive subscription link to his own sign-up page (and of course links to Paul's stuff where appropriate). Paul could give the bundle to his list, and maybe they could agree that parts of it could be used for marketing purposes, in a newsletter or in this guy's blog.

      If the stuff is well done, I'd suppose that quite a few people would sign up to his newsletter just from the included links.

      Paul, this might be attractive to you as you would (with very little effort) get a product for your list that is very specifically tailored to you. It would elaborate a particular point that you care about and give more in-depth information to your list. At the same time, if it was connected to one of your products on sale, it might convince some members of your list who had not already done so to purchase the original product in question. And you would not have to send your subscribers to somebody else's blog.

      In a second step, this guy could suggest the same thing e.g. to Paul Hancox. Do an interview about split testing and some video which shows people how to set up an easy split test. Include a small link with his opt-in information. Proceed from there...

      Btw, Paul, I did not thank you above for offering prizes, but for turning such an uninspiring email into such a wonderful and inspiring thread. And thanks to everybody for making it to one of the best threads I've seen here for a while!

      milkyway
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  • Profile picture of the author activetrader
    thanks for the good laugh I needed it
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  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    OKay...

    I'll hit this one...

    He should have either:
    • Offered to pay you a big chunk of change to get you on board

    OR
    • Offered to get this thing onto a physical CD with nice case etc, get it all wrapped up at Kunaki...

    He does the whole thing on his dollar, and simply request that all he wants is to get the rights to sell the completed piece afterwards..

    Hell, simply having the interview is worth it's weight in something heavy and expensive...

    He could even pay for the first few copies to be sent to the interviewee...



    Peace

    Jay

    p.s. I must add that the above is absolutely none of my own thinking... Paul told us how to do this in his newsletter from Here a short while ago... ask him for the mail with the subject "selling the interview".. he might let ya have it, or not.

    p.p.s. Paul.. I'll call you soon with this exact offer... lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Simon Ashari
    right.

    another guess as to what may be wrong.

    I can't see if the prospector identified any sort of niche in which any products will be made. Sure it's in the make money online niche, but there would have to be a sub niche in which to make the subject of the list.

    hmmm.. may be way off, but thats worth considering.

    Simon.
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  • Profile picture of the author tommygadget
    There are some neat ideas in this thread. I think I've seen the "interview a bunch of IM gurus and make a product out of it" idea somewhere before.... wasn't it the blonde Aussie a while back? I can't remember her name. If you interview all the gurus and make a video with pdf transcript and links to all their flagship products, then you have something that might just be valuable to them. Give it away or as someone said before, let the gurus sell it for 100% commission. Use a system that automatically adds the purchasers to your list and pass the cash to the gurus. Lots of ways to make this work for everybody. I, however, would be much more willing to do this if the JV prospector WAS one of the gurus, IMO.

    TomG.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elmer Hurlstone
      Dere Mistur Meyars,

      I is knowed you for a good numbor of yers now and I bought a bunch of yore stuf.

      Sence we is such gud buddies and i is direcly sponsible fer your oppulunt lifestile i think you shud borrow me one off yr lists so i culd make some money to.

      since yore a sorta buzy feller i dont want to empoze on you a bunch so on of yore small lists would be fine to borry. if you will also include a five-hunnert word testimonial abuot what a giood guy i am and anything i sel will make mone fer someone i'd appreeshuate yr doing so.

      Sensear warm regrds,

      Yr pal,

      elmer
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  • Profile picture of the author Simon Ashari
    Paul. I think we really need a response to what this marketer could have done better in his jv email. I have a few more guesses.

    "Please just be sure to include real substance as I aim to provide valuable content to my list."

    Here, this person implies that they have a list (even though they are a new marketer). They also don't mention that they want 'your list' to be provided with valuable content.

    "If interested please reply INTERVIEW in the subject line."

    Making the established marketer jump through a hoop (or at least making it out that way).

    "My name is [name removed] and the reason I'm mailing you is I'm new to the online game and I'm building my list."

    'What's in it for me.'

    "* Within or at the end of the interview I will have a hoplink promoting your product of choice"

    The established marketer probably doesn't want 25% of a sale they have directly worked for. (unless it was from a joint effort with an industry leader in their field.)


    Simon
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  • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
    G'day (potential) fellow online business partner,
    Immediately sounds like a mass email. Can't even be bothered to research your name or anything about an individual site/product of yours. Spam

    and the reason I'm mailing you is I'm new to the online game and I'm building my list.
    * Once someone submits their contact info they are taken to my blog

    * The blog will have a short interview posted that you and I have conducted
    Where you can tell them what they already know as they are already your customers

    * Within or at the end of the interview I will have a hoplink promoting your product of choice
    Where I can try and sell them a product that you have already pitched to them.

    * This blog will also have all other marketers interviews and products within it.
    But you've already told me you don't have any customers yet, and you are about to tell me (below) that you don't have any marketers signed up yet either.

    The beautiful part is every other list that it sent here will have the opportunity to buy your product as well.
    Oh - I don't think that all of anyone's list would visit unless the list owner gave a really heavy sell - and why would they send someone to your site to buy a) a product they've already promoted to their list and b) someone else's product?

    Feel free to make your answers as short or long as possible. Please just be sure to include real substance as I aim to provide valuable content to my list. Thank you.
    That reminds me of an ex boss who once tried to send a staff memo asking for "sensible comments". I refused to let him send it on the basis that it sounded as if he expected non-sensible ones. So you think I need to be told to provide you with "real substance". B*****y cheek.

    P.S. The first 6 to reply will also get to have a short testimonial on the main website along with example.com on the bottom of the testimonial box.
    As above - You've just told me you don't have any marketers signed up yet. Are you going to write a testimonial for me??? Or do you expect me to write one for you?

    PS -someone recently emailed me offering SEO services. They asked if I knew why my site ranked so low in google for the term "truck parts". I replied that i did know - it had nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of my site (scammers and phishers) and told the emailer that before offering his services he should take some time to research the subject of his (potential) clients' sites.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Okay. I took the weekend (mostly) off. Let's re-start this.

      I did a series on this topic that was 15 pages long. I kind of suspect that a group this smart could come up with at least as many ideas as I did on my own.

      Some questions to ask to see if we can come up with more ways this guy could make the deal attractive:

      How could he narrow the focus?

      How could he broaden the focus?

      What could he add to the site before sending these requests out that would make it more credible/interesting?

      What service could he develop quickly that might make for an attractive exchange?

      How could he better target the approach to each prospective partner?

      How could John's concept of the guy as a broker be expanded or focused?

      What could he offer that would be attractive to my subscribers? (Big, important question.)

      What could he ask for instead of interviews, and what could he offer in return?


      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    9. What do you charge per hour?

    10. How much?

    11. How about we work out some kind of deal? Anyway, I don't really need both these arms...and walking is so over-rated in this day and age.

    Steve
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    Not promoting right now

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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Okay. Seems to have lost a little steam. Here's an example idea:

      Suppose we narrow the focus a bit. What do you think he could offer if he signed up for these folks' lists and did something that benefitted them in advance? For example... Reviewing their newsletters or other content?

      If he does honest reviews, whose help will he be likely to get, and what will that mean to him?


      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author milkyway
        Okay. Seems to have lost a little steam.
        You left us hanging for, uh, four days or so. I was starting to think that you had abandoned us since you found our poor attempts at JVing too embarassing...

        If he does honest reviews, whose help will he be likely to get, and what will that mean to him?
        He'll be more likely to get the help of people who appreciate honest feedback and a serious conversation about content. The help of people who might treat him as an equal and take him serious.

        This could mean that he would get much more valuable content (and not just some rehashed stuff) out of a JV. And that he would get more value for himself because people would treat him as a serious business person. Maybe even the start of some longer-lasting business relationships. Oh, and did I mention that he would learn a lot more?

        How could he narrow the focus?
        He could narrow the focus to a very specific topic and choose potential partners that have some interest in this topic or know a lot about certain aspects. Then make it clear how all those facets would add together to a larger picture.

        Back later, hopefully with more ideas!

        milkyway
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        • Profile picture of the author milkyway
          richpeasant,

          If it's working for him great!

          If it isn't, he'll need to rethink his method.

          As far as I'm aware, there's no governing body
          in IM. And at least they got started.
          I disagree, at least to some extent. There might be no governing body, but there is something called good manners or basic politeness. If I approach people (by email or otherwise) because I want something from them, then using a mass email without even bothering to include the name is impolite. And not very smart. Just my two cents, though...

          I'm more or less a newbie with not much JV experience. And throughout this thread, Paul gave me the feeling that he might have way more experience than me, but that my ideas are valuable nonetheless and that I can come up with better ideas than I thought before.

          Getting honest and constructive feedback and advice from somebody with a lot of experience is like an online coaching session -- I appreciate that very much.

          And finally: there's always room for improvement. Even if some methods have worked well so far, a thread like this one shows new perspectives and might spark an idea that improves everything even further.

          I agree about taking action...

          milkyway
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          • Profile picture of the author richpeasant
            Originally Posted by milkyway View Post

            richpeasant,

            I disagree, at least to some extent. There might be no governing body, but there is something called good manners or basic politeness. If I approach people (by email or otherwise) because I want something from them, then using a mass email without even bothering to include the name is impolite. And not very smart. Just my two cents, though...

            And finally: there's always room for improvement. Even if some methods have worked well so far, a thread like this one shows new perspectives and might spark an idea that improves everything even further.
            I agree about taking action...
            milkyway
            When someone takes action the first time, they
            can and usually do fail.

            If this person has good intentions and enough drive,
            they can and will learn what works and doesn't.

            There is no such thing as an educated person.
            You are either learning or you are not - Bob Proctor
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  • Profile picture of the author richpeasant
    If it's working for him great!

    If it isn't, he'll need to rethink his method.

    As far as I'm aware, there's no governing body
    in IM. And at least they got started.

    In Internet Marketing the most successful people are rule breakers.
    The most successful people rub others up the wrong way and basically
    make a bloody nuisance of themselves. That's exactly why they're successful
    - Tony Shepherd
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  • Profile picture of the author John Taylor
    Paul,

    Joint Venturing 101..

    Get of your prospects list and get a feel for
    your potential JV prospects approach. Pay
    particular attention to how he commnicates
    withy his list and the type of content he
    provides.

    Look out for ways that you can help your
    JV prospect. For example provide links to
    resources that are relevant to the content
    of the ezine.

    Offer constructive feedback to show you
    are an active and not passive subscriber.

    If you see your prospect promoting someone
    elses product, ask them what criteria they
    use to select such partners.

    You will know when the relationship has
    reached a stage at which it would be
    appropriate to discuss the possibility of a
    joint venture.. it take time, patience and
    above all an ability to build a relationship.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Brighton
    "Dear Mr Myers,

    First of all, as a long standing reader of your work I'd like to say a huge thank you for what you have provided in terms of solid marketing education in the past.

    Also, as a loyal reader and fellow business owner I've also noticed a small area in your business that I've longed for an answer to...

    You see, in episode #10 you mention a wonderful book about preselling visitors.

    I enjoyed this book so much, that it got me thinking...

    Although the info is powerful, I noticed how long it takes to create the framework of the presell offer. As a subscriber, I'd love to have access to some sort of shortcut to this particular aspect of the guide...as I'm sure your other readers would appreciate too.

    Therefore, perhaps it would be of interest to you to offer your subscribers a resource which automates the laborious aspects of the presell process which you describe in your work?

    With that in mind, I've spent some considerable time creating templates which I think would fit the bill. If you like them, you are most welcome to offer them to your customers and subscribers as a gift from me...(my way of saying thank you).

    Please find them attached.


    Paul, I would be ever so grateful if you wouldn't mind providing your feedback on these templates and I'd be delighted to rework them accordingly.

    After all, I already appreciate your 10+ years of solid reputation is not built on sending out shoddy material to your legions of subscribers.

    If you do decide to send these templates out to your people, perhaps I could ask a favour in return?


    I am currently building a list of subscribers in order to build my own business.

    I am aiming to provide value to other marketers and their lists in exchange for a small percentage of mail outs to their subscribers mentioning my website.

    On my website, they can download content in exchange for their email address. This would be content that is targeted to their needs and of course, non competitive to your business.

    I've already contacted Hannibal, Mr T and Murdock and they have confirmed that their mail outs would reach over 50k subscribers. I chose these marketers because they market to a similar demographic to yours, so that leaves the opportunity for me to mail out to my entire list at a later stage with relevant offers from yourself...

    ...or perhaps just use what I have learned from your presell course to "presell" them on joining your list?

    After all, I could speak from personal recommendation which would be all the more convincing and genuine in my approach.

    So in summary, here's my proposal:

    1. I'd like to offer you these attached templates to give to your list (they pay nothing and it will directly help them benefit further from your own product)

    2. In exchange for this gift, I'd like to access a portion of your list to collect emails. I would then provide valuable content in the same fashion that you do, but in a different area of marketing online.

    3. Other marketers would also be involved, meaning that as my list grows over a short period of weeks from now, I'd be able to presell your products and services to them with no obligation or monetary gain.

    I'd have a list of targeted subscribers, you'd have something valuable to give away to your current and new subscribers and you'd also attract new subscribers on autopilot.

    So as I say, if you could find the time to consider this opportunity and take a peek at the templates I've attached that would be great...

    Keep up the great work Paul, looking forward to hearing back from you shortly!

    Kind regards,

    Mr Polite.
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    • Profile picture of the author milkyway
      Back again with some more ideas. I'm not sure how useful they are, so feedback would be appreciated...

      He could broaden the focus by taking a step back from IM and approaching potential partners in related areas: General marketing, website programming, technical stuff,... If chosen well, this would make up for a nice package of related content.

      He could add as much relevant content to the side as possible (blog entries, articles, etc.), in combination with links to the products/newsletters of the potential JV partners, where appropriate. Or comment on their blogs or newsletters. Or include the free reports that a lot of people give away for redistribution with links to their sites included.

      Or he could add content that has nothing to do with the JV partners, but would be helpful to their subscribers. Link lists to relevant resources. A list of helpful blogs in this market. A collection of useful "how to" videos available for free.

      He could add a service to the site like a survey whose result is relevant to more than one of his potential JV partners (and then give the results to everybody who sends subscribers to him).

      How could he better target the approach to each prospective partner?
      You mean, other than including their names into the emails?

      How could John's concept of the guy as a broker be expanded or focused?
      The people he approaches probably have a lot more contacts in IM than he himself. So to figure out whom they don't know and to bring people together based on that is probably hopeless -- again, unless he tries to connect people from related areas. Programmers, designers, copywriters, ...

      I wonder if it would make sense to offer sort of an "expert panel" concerning a specific question where some experts would give their opinion/share tricks/discuss the matter (whatever is appropriate to the topic). Where they could send their subscribers to and of course have links to their own stuff.

      If the more experienced people think that some of this is not feasible or plain crap, please let me know...

      milkyway
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
    Dear Mr Myers,

    Thank you for taking your valuable time to read this email.

    While I am not new to the internet marketing world, I am somewhat clueless when it comes to joint venture request . Please take this into consideration if you choose to continue reading .

    My product deals with building a business with very little start up capital. The product gives all the resources needed to start an internet business for free. This includes Website with hosting , a fully functional autoresponder , as well as several free traffic resources . The product of your choosing could be inserted as the main product that the buyer of this product sells . Due to the current economic woes , this product seems to be in demand although testing has been somewhat limited at this point .

    Due to the target customer the price of the initial product is more of a low end self liquidating offer. The upsale is basically the business model that most buyers of the slo will need to make all the free tools work.

    I would be pleased to offer you 100% commissions on both the product and the upsale in whatever type of promotion that you think would work best for you .

    I am a list builder. I do not have a list that someone of your caliber would consider huge , but can contact around 20,000 of my own people in a single promotion . I could also send an ad of your choice to these contacts .

    Being the marketer you are I am sure you are wondering what benefit I am seeking .

    The main product would be sent via autoresponder as well as to a direct download page (thank you page redirect ) .

    The list is all I am interested in .

    I have attached a copy of the main product for your consideration. If so compelled , you may contact me by replying to this email, calling me @ 123-456-7890, or via snail mail @ 1234 i got 5 kids lane , yville ga 30555.

    Hoping to receive a reply at your convenience

    Troy Phillips
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin Michie
    I'm pretty sure I got the same request.

    The guy wants to interview me, have me promote to my list so he can build a list, and he'll put up an affiliate link for my product on the download page, so that he can market my product to my list as an affiliate.

    Unbelievable... but at least he's trying... even though he's a little clueless.

    Justin
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  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    Paul,

    Not sure if anyone made this suggestion yet, but maybe you should
    just give this person your login for your autoresponder so he can
    send whatever he wants to your list himself!
    Signature

    "Human thoughts have the tendency to transform themselves into their physical equivalent." Earl Nightingale

    Super Affiliates Hang Out Here

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  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    BTW - some of you may remember this, some of you won't.

    But a few years back Harris Fellman did this with 12 Week Intensive

    He got all these heavy hitters to promote this interview series which
    you couldn't get access to unless you opted-in.

    Then he sold their products to the list they all built for him.

    Him and his partner Merlin made like $140K or something crazy like
    that in 12 weeks!!

    Not sure if this guy is going about it right, but at least he's trying.

    Some people will say yes, many will say G T F O H!

    But I say good for him for being aggressive.

    He's gotta learn one way or the other.

    At least he's taking action

    Jason

    P.S. Harris isn't the only one to succeed with this model. Many have
    including me with my first ever Butterfly site called
    Accelerated Success System which no longer exists because the D-Bag
    I did it with was exactly that and killed his hosting account. (LOSER)
    Signature

    "Human thoughts have the tendency to transform themselves into their physical equivalent." Earl Nightingale

    Super Affiliates Hang Out Here

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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Some really good stuff going on here. I'd like to see some folks expand on some of the ideas presentd. How would you improve them or add to them to make them even better?

      I'd also like to expand a bit on the idea I posted about doing a newsletter review site. There are a number of things that could make that an effective idea, the most important being that it's a viable model even if no-one ever JV'd with the guy.

      If you do honest reviews, you're going to point out the good and bad points of any product, including telling people who will and won't benefit from it. Some products are very good, when looked at for one audience, and worthless for another group.

      Reviewing newsletters this way does a few things. First, it gives you practice, and lets you stay focused and objective. By including links to the subscription page for any publication you see as being useful for any group, you send those people subscribers, or at least make the attempt.

      You can start such a review site without needing any budget beyond hosting, and you can get used to the idea of giving negative or mixed reviews, which will help you to stay objective when you get to reviewing products.

      Add a link to a page for people to submit publications or products for review, along with your terms for doing them. When people approach you to review their offerings, the dynamic is very different than if you go to them.

      When you've reviewed a publication, notify the publisher, whether it's a completely positive review, a mixed one, or a negative one. Some folks may want to avoid posting completely negative reviews, which is understandable. If something is that bad, you may want to not mention it at all. If that's the case, you might want to say so in your terms, to make it clear that you're not guaranteeing anyone anything.

      If a review is mostly positive, you will find some of the publishers offering you their products to review. In most cases, these will be as good as the publications, if not better. And they'll usually have affiliate programs.

      If you want to have some fun, have a script made or installed that visitors can use to vote on a publication after you've reviewed it. There's a good reason for publishers to send people to your site, yes? Assuming, of course, that you handle the reviews with sufficient consistency and honesty that people trust you to be telling the truth as you see it.

      Doesn't take long to start looking like an authority site with this approach, does it? That's what we in the trade call "leverage."

      That gives you something to offer. In fact, before you approach anyone, you've done them the favors of reviewing their site, newsletter and/or products, given them a link, and sent them subscribers or customers. And, if you've got somewhere for your visitors to sign up, you've got a list of people wanting to hear from you.

      If you do really effective reviews, and promote the site properly, the products you recommend will sell, making you an in-demand affiliate.

      You now have something to bring to the table.

      A very useful part of this is that, assuming you stick to the rule about honest reviews, you are operating as an equal, from a position of mutual respect. And you've demonstrated that you actually know something about the person you're approaching.

      You can do the same thing in any niche. You may need to start with a combination of email and web-based publications or sites, depending on how much content is available, but this model is very flexible.


      Paul
      Signature
      .
      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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      • Profile picture of the author VegasVince
        Stroking your favorite guru.....with nothing to offer of value.....hoping said guru's ego will nudge him or her into dropping you'se a crumb......is about the dumbest way to approach a JV out there...and yet I see it all the time.

        In this case....the guy didn't even attempt to stroke Big Paul....he just went for the close even though he had nothing TO CLOSE! lol.

        A true Joint Venture.....doesn't need a pitch.....a turbo blasted email.....from some talentless marketer/ victim... whose entire business model...is to hijack the reputation of someone who worked hard to build their name and credibility....while the sender brings absolutely nothing to the dance except a leech mentality.

        In a true joint venture.....the partners find each other....and the value of both partners is always self evident.

        It's called "show me the money." If you can...let's do business. If you can't.....don't waste your time or mine.....cuz I aint giving you'se nothing for nothing. Capiche.

        Show me the money....or at least send me a hot chick for the night.....and you'll cut to the chase...and not look like a dumb ass in the process.

        Who ever taught this method of "JV'ing" via some $7 ebook....should have a flame thrower taken to them.


        xxx Vegas Vince
        Legend.
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        • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
          If you create a standard template email of the one you sent Paul and send it to thousand's of guru's then you will get your ten interviews.

          Somebody will absolutely say yes to you.
          I'm sorry, but this is not so. If you have a lousy pitch, or even a good one sent to the wrong people, the law of numbers will not work in your favor.

          I can't name names, but I have heard sob stories from scores of business owners who sent out a pitch to 5000 people on what seemed to be a good list, getting back not one "yes."

          It's essential to put yourself in the shoes of the recipient and to figure out what will catch their attention, be credible and provoke a positive response.

          Marcia Yudkin
          Signature
          Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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          • Profile picture of the author John Durham
            Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post

            I'm sorry, but this is not so. If you have a lousy pitch, or even a good one sent to the wrong people, the law of numbers will not work in your favor.

            I can't name names, but I have heard sob stories from scores of business owners who sent out a pitch to 5000 people on what seemed to be a good list, getting back not one "yes."

            It's essential to put yourself in the shoes of the recipient and to figure out what will catch their attention, be credible and provoke a positive response.

            Marcia Yudkin
            I stand corrected. You are right. I guess a bit of "savvy" IS necessary.
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  • Profile picture of the author Iain Ainsworth
    The guy needs to build his list and hasn't got a product to offer in return.

    Let's say he contacts six people each with a list of 5,000

    Instead of asking said marketers to answer generic questions, how about asking each to contribute a short report on some aspect of their particular expertise. He could then combine all six into a free downloadable report/ebook in return for a email address.

    All would then promote the ebook to their lists as it would then be a valuable and worthwhile product which their subscribers will greatly appreciate.

    Of course, within the ebook each marketer would have their own bio/links which would have the potential to be seen by 25,000+ extra eyes.

    Further, the guy would be expected to have permanent links on his website/blog to each of the other six's website/newsletter.

    Everybody ends up winning. Our newbie friend gets his list via a damn good product and not some crappy interview. The other six will grow their list and name immediately, and over time, and most importantly, the subscribers of said lists will be very happy to have been pointed in the direction of such a valuable freebie.
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