Successful Offline Consultants...

Hey, guys! So I have this idea I want to run by you all and see what you think and to get some nuggets from successful offline consultants that could improve this initial idea.


So here goes. One of our warriors here, Arron (areevez), has been killing it, apparently, selling sms services to tattoo shops. He says they're a pretty easy sell (not sure if there is such a thing in this biz), because the biz owner is almost always at the shop and they're pretty accessable and very down-to-earth. I like the idea of selling our services to biz owners like this.

Now, the sms idea is definitely a good one for a business like this and I will definitely be using it, but, as an additional upsell after getting them excited about my service I'm going to do for them for FREE. Now, I've read many, many times here that there is no better way of gaining a biz owner's TRUST and getting them to LIKE you (LIKE and TRUST, 2 of the key elements to get them to buy from you) than by giving them something of tremendous value for FREE.

So, here's my freebie idea. I want to approach these tattoo shop owners with the idea of doing a video-taped testimonial from one of there ACTUAL customers.

I would come in at a scheduled time and he/she would, of course, get the customer's consent to be video-taped and interviewed. Then I would take the footage and, with the video creation skills I've learned right here on this amazing forum, I would edit the footage, add music and VOILA deliver them a spectacular, super-duper professional video-testimonial that they can place on their website!

Now, in exchange for me GENEROUSLY doing this for free, I would ask mr./mrs. biz owner to let me video-tape a raving testimonial from them about my service, so that I can use their testimonial on my website (I'm going to create specifically for this service).

Now, I'm thinking of maybe doing 3 freebies for 3 different owners, so that I can get their testimonials on my website I'm going to create for this service.

I was also thinking of giving away some of my seo/video ranking services to get the video on the first page of google for "tattoo shop in san francisco" (My home city-GO NINERS! lol) which I've also learned how to do quickly and easily thanks to this forum and then getting the testimonials after I've accomplished that.

After I've done all this for them for FREE, I'm thinking I should be a hero to them and thus should be able to sell them pretty much anything I want, yes?

Like charging $197 a month for creating and ranking a new video testimonial, get them sold on starting an SMS VIP club membership (like what Arron's doing) to get them even more sales through the power of this great new technology and charge them $199 setup fee plus $249 a month to maintain the service, I could also package the two services into one and save them some money by lowering my price if they get both services.

Then, of course, revamping their websites, etc. The list goes on and on. Also, this idea doesn't have to be limited to tattoo shops, I'm sure if you thought long and hard about it there's tons of other businesses that this idea could work for.

I believe in the power of giving to receive and I think there's a lot to receive here for me by giving away my services, initially, for free. I'm thinking of continuing to give away the video-testimonial for free after I have the 3 owner testimonials and then charging them for the marketing of the video, but if the sales process goes as smooth and easy as I'm hoping it will after I give away all this amazing stuff for free, I may continue to do exactly the same with every other owner I talk to thereafter.

Anyway, there's my idea and I look forward to the feedback! I'm planning on giving this idea a run for it's "money" this week and then keep everyone posted as to my progress.

Mike