Going to charge $1,500 Per Month for this...

Dang...lots-o-questions

1. All the Likes are Natural, we use Edging, Contests, Texting Campaigns to 32665 = FBook
and 10 others strategies but I would have to bill you...j/k

2. I outsource about $300 to $500 per of the $1,500 to my team. Local and India depending on project.

3. My contracts are normally 3 Months to 6 Months. I feel I can prove my worth in that time frame

4. I will report back on results of this last mailing. IMO...I feel the reason of the success and high close rate is from my branding my myself and company on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Awesome. 20 letters to make $4500-- you can't beat that.
Keep up the good work.

Image is everything

This is very true. If your client sees true value and understands ROI, they'll pay whatever you ask. Just be able to demonstrate you can deliver though. You can even consider loss leader strategy and prep them later for upsell.

The first run of 20 letters, I wrote out 20 white envelopes with the words Attn Owner or GM. Inside was similar sales letter with my business card attached. I walked the streets here in Gaslamp San Diego, there is like 80 restaurants and 40 bars. I cherry picked the top 20 places I wanted to work at and walked inside and handed letter to whoever looked like they were in charge. That is how I got the 3 out of 20.

What I am doing this time is using a method I got from a post in this Forum. Send out 20 letters like the one I started this post with to Cosmetic Surgeons and include a fresh $2.00 bill in each letter. It will be hand written on the outside with the stamp on crooked.

They are going out this weekend, will report back on success rate. :-)

You obviously don't know me very well "wrench"
Using Social Media is just one of many ways to get in the door. Then we offer SEO, Web Design, SEM, Lead Gen, E-mail Campaigns, Mobile Apps and much more.
Thanks for worrying about me though :-)

90% of online marketers who target offline businesses primarily sell products and services that are customer acquisition based.. The big Buzz now is customer retention...6 to 7 times more profit potential for the business owner and 100% more profit potential for a knowledgeable marketer.

Just my 2 cents

James, you are a gracious man. I admire you.

The real point I wanted to bring out in this conversation is about focusing ALL your marketing TACTICS at the internet. This is a very dangerous game to play with your business and your clients.

Michael Hiles knows fully well that getting all your business from one source, whether it be the Yellow Pages, Direct Mail, Newsletters, Word of Mouth, TV, Radio, or the Internet is a disaster waiting to happen.

I am by no means an expert on SEO, PPC, Places, etc... but I sure do outsource 100% of all my services.

You can outsource direct mail, newsletters, in-house training, etc... and make more money and stability for both you and your client.

If you truly care about YOUR money and your clients best interest you will have other sources of media to get lead generation.

If your clients have other consultants that are providing those services then fine. If you are only servicing their Internet tactics then continue to do what you do.

I however think it's a huge mistake. I have preached on this forum and to my clients NOT to depend upon the Internet for their business success.

Most members here who do Offline only "think" internet related services. All businesses care about is Lead gen, customers, top line revenue, and profits.

Panda, Penguin, no more Google Places can kiss my @ss.

Neither my income, nor my clients income is dependent upon the Almighty Google.

Your "one dimensional" terminology is meaningless in the derogatory context you're attempting to use it.

What I don't do is staff a resource for a tactical skill that isn't my core service offering. But I may keep several service providers at hand for client project work that falls outside of my core.

A database administrator doesn't care whether it's IBM Global Consulting Services paying him for his skills or Joe's Landscaping. As long as he gets his fee for doing his tactical task.

You're criticizing the guy for focusing on his own skill set as a technician. I happen to know James and he does a great business. He focuses on his own skills and sells to people who want what he does.

James may offer an entire suite of services under his social label. He might do blogging, he may do social media presence management, he might provide SMS text messaging services, in fact he may provide several subsets of activity under the "social media" label of services. So then is he really "one-dimensional"?

He may also sell to end users and may also contract to other types of consultants (LIKE STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANTS). He may also provide those services to specific industry sub-segments and business profiles that I wouldn't touch (because they might not be able to afford a heavy hitter).

What I don't do is go around disparaging people for their successful methods. I figure out how to help them and use their knowledge, skills, and resources for my own benefit. I don't say things like "I could take your business away" to them. While it might be the case, I know what business I'm in, and I'm not threatened in the least by smart people who might be better at some other technical detail.

So what if I could take away his entire customer base, why would I change my own model to do it? To prove that I can? James is a smart guy, and he will adapt his business to whatever opportunities and constraints he's been presented.

Like I said, not everyone on this forum is a starry-eyed ebook salesman. James isn't one of those folks. In fact, a lot of the offline services people here are quite competent in their crafts in spite of what might be presented in the WSO forum.

Attention seeking like as in telling a successful guy with a successful business how he's doing it all wrong as a one dimensional schmuck and how you've got all the right answers if he'd only stop reading stupid ebooks?


Oh... and I might add... for all the marketing bigshotedness of "psssht... that's just internet, not REAL MARKETING!!!!" --- I have yet to get a postcard brochure in the mail from Facebook. And I do 25% of my business with traditional direct mail campaigns.

A phillips head screwdriver for a phillips screw. A planer to take rough edges off wood.

hey wrench, I think the point youre missing is that he brought people in at a 1500 a month price point, its simple to upsell them from here into other services

I applaud the OP, very well done, wrench, stop trolling

I can read quite well. You keep denying that you've said things that I've never once accused you of saying... yet you continue to ignore the challenges to the statements that YOU'VE ACTUALLY MADE.

You know, the ones that I've called you out on.

Scroll up and exercise that stellar reading comprehension ability that you seem to be accusing me of of missing... repeatedly.

I'm pretty sure you're the one exercising selective reading at this point.

Do you have anything further of substance to contribute? Or are you resigning yourself to the position that everyone should be a generalist so there would be no specialists for us to outsource... therefore, Mr. Hickey is ignorant and you could take his business away because he's on a forum that sells ebooks about topics pertaining to certain aspects of marketing?

Find that Facebook TV ad or print brochure yet?

Since it is you who cannot comprehend, this is a FORUM FOR ONLINE MARKETING FOR OFFLINE BUSINESS.

WOW AT YOU NOT COMPREHENDING THIS

GET IT? THIS IS A SITE DEDICATED TO INTERNET MARKETING!!!! THIS IS A FORUM DEDICATED TO THE INTERNET MARKETING PRACTICES OF NON-INTERNET BUSINESS!!! A WEBSITE IS AN INTERNET VEHICLE WHETHER IT'S OWNED BY A WEB COMPANY OR A TRADITIONAL COMPANY!

IT'S INTERNET MARKETING.

WOW AT YOU NOT COMPREHENDING THIS!!!

And I am going to go ahead and give you this warning: Cut with the derogatory $hit like "can you even read". If you want to stick around on this site, I'd strongly suggest you find yourself a bit more decorum and read the rules.

If you can't engage in a discussion without attacking people's business and being derogatory when you've been called out for it in response, you might want to rethink your purpose here.

This is a forum where people who ARE experts in things like SEO, PPC, et al, engage in discussions and ideas about said topics for the purpose of enhancing their clients revenue. Not a general marketing forum where you wow us with your Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham rehashed prowess and browbeat those who are specialists in things you're not for discussing those specialized topics.

It's like you barging into a video editor's forum telling them how they're somehow or another beneath you because they're specialists in shooting the TV commercial instead of knowing how to match a branding campaign to a demographic and direct a creative team to storyboard the commercial spot concept. Or are they beneath you as well because they specialize in storyboarding too?

If you shut your mouth a bit, you might actually learn something useful.

Originally Posted by wrench
I've realized nearly all the WF "offline marketers" are completely clueless when it comes to anything about marketing to increase profits for offline businesses.

I went from from 2k a month to 10-12k a month when I stopped coming to WF for advice and insight.

I then joined a group where people REALLY know what marketing is and how to apply it to offline businesses.

So good bye WF as its done nothing for me except point me in a more valuable direction for my offline consulting knowledge.

-------------------

Care to share the name of that group?

I'm always open to new ideas.

Yes, that's Joe Polish site, been following Joe for years. Met him several times in person at Dan Kennedy and Ken McCarthy seminars. Joe pulls in some serious cash, 8 figures. Not many marketers can say that.

I study the masters, Kennedy, Abraham, Ogilvy, Makepeace, Halbert, Rodale, Bencavinga, etc... I just invested $10,000 last month on some serious copywriting material. People here complain if a WSO is $27, lol.

The majority of members here are looking for Tactics, they are not into Systems. Nothing wrong with that, you can make serious money with Tactics only. But it's not my cup of tea.

I can understand why many people don't want to know system type marketing. I've studied this for decades and will continue until my last breath.

Most just want something to make money today, then when the next hot item comes along they jump on that bandwagon.

SEO was hot, then Google Places, site rentals, etc... now it's Pinterest, Facebook, and anything to do with mobile/sms.

When I take on a client I take full control, I own them. For someone to come in and replace me is nearly impossible. I would need a big falling out with a client to replace me.

I know more than 100% of any client I meet with, I will never let the client make decisions without my input. Why should a client know marketing, it's my area of expertise. I've studied marketing longer than Michael Hiles is old, no offense to Michael.

I've read Michaels post for a long time, he understands marketing. But as he stated, 98% of this forum revolves around Internet based Tactics.

I Love Marketing and other sites are more geared toward "direct response marketing" which is completely different than the internet.

Over 50% of all marketing is still "Print" media, but neither you nor I will ever convince members here of that.

Old school marketing is superior IMHO than any goofy tactic trying to game Google. I think many here are starting to get "it."

Why so many members here base their income based upon a 3rd party like Google is beyond me.

Panda, Penguin, no more Google Places, now today I read about some shopping crap with Google, everyday it's something else.

In the meantime, I'm making a small fortune with direct mail. The post office delivers less and less mail, so my mail gets noticed even easier. My response rates continue to get higher while everyone here screams about Google and finding NEW tactics.

My newspaper direct inserts are doing better than ever, just like the post office, advertisers are fleeing print media leaving it all to ME.

It is what it is. Unless the USPS goes under, all newspapers, employee training, Aweber, telemarketing, etc... I'll still be around.

F*** Google and F*** the Internet.

I tell my clients the Internet is icing on the cake I'm about to prepare. Sit back, get ready to hire more staff, and watch me work my Magic!

How did you closed the deal with the Indian Casino? What services did you offer them?

Uhhh... if you call me repeatedly bit$h slapping you "whining", then okay.

Did you mean "marketing mediums" in that last post? Ummm yeah... that comprehension thing...
LOL you schooled me just like you schooled the Brit on his proper spelling of a word in another topic. You didn't.

Arrogant AND stupid, all in one tidy package.

Everyone can read for themselve and see exactly what transpired - from your very first post in this topic to this one.

They can also click on the link and get your entire body of contribution to the Warrior Forum and make their own decisions about what you're really all about.
http://www.warriorforum.com/search.p...rchid=16004625

You're going to take all the internet marketer's business away with your awesome skills. You're stellar. You're a super star. You're a rock star. You're Jay Abraham's tailor's janitor.

LOL, here's my favorite from the thread.

Does 'reading compression level of a 4th grader' mean that he reads the condensed version of the book?

Oh, I see now. You misspelled comprehension.

And remember, spell check is our friend. It helps to keep us from looking 'unedumicated'.

John

We hand write the envelopes, put sales letter, paperclip, $2 bill and business card. This makes it lumpy mail (Dan Kennedy trick) (see Wrench, I read books) and it gets opened. We just put owner or GM. I think I am going to add Reputation Management to the flyer and put a Yelp/Angies List logo's.
I have done this before to bars and restaurants, not cosmetic surgeons. I could possibly scale this to more people but I don't want to start a big agency or work too hard :-P

Getting Facebook Like's is easy. It involves a ground game as well as Internet Based strategy.
To save a bunch of keystrokes, I am just going to post this short video on getting Facebook Likes. I have a newer version coming out soon that covers the latest changes to Facebook Timeline.

There is a nice city called Carlsbad just north of me in San Diego. I am going to check out Yellowbook, I handle some video marketing and preach it to my clients. Thanks for sharing to post my friend. If you are in SD area, lets talk shop, I am in Gaslamp.

Me too.... Thank you James.

ADukes, I live 3 blocks from Petco Park and I am unofficial Mayor of Gaslamp...haha
Will shoot you my # in a PM.

few questions op if you don't mind?

How are you proving your leads to your customer? And how do you initially prove that your services are worth it?

So far I have 3 clients, friends/family. I want to start branching out to local businesses. So overall, all im asking is how do your clients know that the monthly fee of 1500 is worth their time and how to prove it to them so they keep coming back?

thanks.

Thanks Bredfan
Last 4 letters going out this morning, expecting to start getting calls beginning of the week. My total expense right now is $55 in stamps and $2.00 Bills.
Here is what the final letter looked like for those who want to try this method.

Internet Marketing - Social Media Sales Letter

James

Tell me about the $2 bills. I would think they biggest challenge is getting the potential client to open it, once they open it they will read it. , right? Do you do anything to entice them to open it?

Anything new on this?

Wow, I'm glad to see this thread back on track.

@sdentrepreneur: First, thanks for your sharing. I appreciate the generosity of your original post and your determination to stay focused through the flame war. I'm just retiring from software development and entering the offline market, so I'm happy to see your success. My wife and I also live in San Diego. We were downtown for a few years but felt we had to move back to the beach here in PB. Love to meet up sometime!

@MichaelHiles: Good job! That troll couldn't string together a coherent sentence if his business depended on it. I am sorry, however, that James's thread was co-opted by those agents provocateur. I feel as if we've lost valuable time with their nonsense.

@"the haters": Leading with insults and negativity is generally not a convincing rhetorical tactic. It just marks you as fatuous and self-important.

Keep us posted, Jim! And thanks again.

--George

Your welcome BigChris, this is such a great industry and would love to see more people successful here. If you or anyone is just starting out, treat yourself like your first client and then find a friend or family member that needs Internet Marketing and help them. Then you have 2 clients...so to speak.

I think once you learn more about business, you will find that ROI (Return On Inverstment) rather than price dictates how expensive something is. And this forum has some *really* good people giving great advice including sdentrepreneur we can all learn from.

Marvin

Hey there Damon

I use the Social Media LIKES and Followers to a businesses accounts as part of relationship building.WHY?? Social Media Marketing is very popular here in San Diego. Then I can upsell them to more local search marketing, SEO and Lead Gen.