Produce Products for an Internet Presence and Repeat Visitors

Volume II, Issue 9
ISSN: 1547-7754
February 2005
printable version

Chris King, Editor
By subscription only, this monthly e-newsletter is loaded with short, "down and dirty" tips to help you with solving the everchanging and growing puzzle of the Internet. This e-zine serves as a place to ask your questions and find the answers. So, send me your burning questions.

Being involved with many discussion groups on the Internet and also taking part in weekly teleseminars, I learn what others are using to market their businesses - and to make a respectable income. It is unanimous that to succeed, we need products - and products of various types and priced at various levels.

Fred Gleeck, a master of product development and sales, describes the “funnel system” as having different products starting at no cost, then small cost, medium cost, and top dollar. For example, Anthony Robbins is a good example of someone who knows how to use the FUNNEL system.

You can go onto amazon.com and get a one cassette audio program of his for around $10. You can also buy one of his books for around $20. You can then get a set of his audio tape and/or CD programs for somewhere around $50 or $60 up to $179.95. He has products that he will sell you at just about any price point you like. All the way up to $25,000 to go sit at the feet of the "master" himself. He even has a few select clients who pay him $1,000,000 a year to do personal coaching.

In this e-zine, I will start with general tips about creating and using products. Then in upcoming issues will focus on specific products.

TIP #1. Start with a free product. The goals are to collect e-mail addresses for your distribution list and to drive visitors to your website. Without any money out of pocket, those who sign up get to know you and start to trust you.

• Short papers, articles and/or handouts. If you are speaking to a group, networking, or prospecting, having these will serve as a perfect introduction. Mention that you have a short article or report (mention the title) that you would be delighted to send them. Ask them to write their e-mail on the back of their business card - or you can also choose snail mail for follow-up.
• Tips sent one at a time by e-mail, or, as I have found to work as an incentive, five to ten to be sent when someone signs up for my e-newsletters.
• An e-newsletter or e-zine. We will discuss the ins and outs of these in the next Internet E-Zine. Sent regularly and well-written with useful content, these serve as a great way to establish rapport and keep your presence in front of a list of subscribers. They also help with directing traffic back to your website.

TIP #2. Create a product priced in the $7.00 to $15.00 range. Most visitors are willing to try you out for a product this reasonably priced (I even guarantee these products) and it gives you a chance to share your knowledge and show them that you offer more than fluff and filler.

• Special reports. If you write many articles, creating these is the perfect way to combine thoughts. They don’t have to be mammoth, but they should offer more information than expected by the buyer.
• Booklets. These are filled with information also, but are a published size that will fit in a regular envelope.
• Audio cassettes. If you lead teleseminars or give live presentations that are worthwhile and content heavy, have someone with excellent equipment tape you. These are always popular with auditory learners.

TIP #3. A product in the $25.00 to $50.00 range. These are still reasonably priced enough that visitors will be willing to try them out, especially if you have already established rapport and trust.

• E-books. These may be anywhere from 40 pages to 200 pages, but must also grab your buyer’s attention and contain content that is unique, useful and worthwhile.
• CDs. See my mention above of producing audio cassettes. CDs are becoming more popular than tape cassettes and tend to demand a higher price. And, they are relatively straightforward to produce.
• A printed manual, workbook, hard cover book and/or paperback. Many readers like to have a printed copy that they can hold in their hands. Some e-book creators are also producing print versions that can be held in a three hole binder.
• A teleseminar/teleclass. Many of these are free, but if the leader or interviewee is well known and the topic is top notch, participants are willing to pay. The SpeakerNet group’s teleseminars are always excellent. They are also recorded and sold on CDs.

TIP #4. A product in the $87.00 to $1000.00 (or above) range. Often these are bundles of CDs, e-books, software, workbooks, manuals, etc. And, these bundles usually come with a certain amount of coaching and/or training by the well-known and revered guru who is offering them.

In upcoming issues, I will go into each of the product levels mentioned above in more depth, and will offer links to the multitude of resources available in each area.

Have a terrific and productive month!

Remember, send your comments and questions to me at chris@creativekeys.biz. I love to receive feedback and will answer your questions in future e-zines.