3 Quick And Easy Ways To Build A Profitable Opt In List

You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. After reading countless articles and sought expert advices and have read many success stories of people creating a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one of your own. Then it happens, you think you have known everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have followed their advices to the T and you still weren’t able to make a profit.

In fact, you may be losing money. You maybe hiring writers to help you out, or there are some expenses incurred, even if you have a big list, but only a very small percentage actually buys from you, your still losing profit. You’ll realize that after a few months when you see your statistics and sales figures.

So what could have gone wrong? Why have others succeeded where you have failed? The most common mistake is that you dived straight right in. You chose a topic where you think could be quite popular and would earn you money. This just not the case. Just because you wrote people from the list doesn’t mean they are going to buy instantly.

Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an opt-in list and have failed, you can rejuvenate your failed venture. For those who are starting, here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.
1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable seller. Put many articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started and used for your site. Try to put forums first to gain knowledge about your customers about their wants and needs and target those wants and needs.

Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advices and recommendations. When you feel that people trust you already, you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build a base as well with other forum users. You can ask them to join your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link to your site so that they may be able to see what you're business is all about.

The certain truth is, the money will only come in when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. They want a product or service that could be a good exchange for their money. People are not going to buy something out of your recommendation if they don’t know you.

2) Find a product or service that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can carry it on forward. Invest your time, effort and money that you could sell as well as the buyers or subscribers of your opt-in list can use.

While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have interest in, there are not many people who have the same interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not entirely popular or profitable. Do your research well and you would see the profits come in. Also provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and spread around.

3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This is basically beneficial especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. These are people that have the experience in this venture and experience is still the best teacher. While there are many articles available for you in the internet to use, there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone you trust.

Experienced opt-in list users will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do because they have gone through it. While different situations occur for different people, the general concept can still be very helpful. There are many things to avoid and these people will be able to tell you which ones.

Building a profitable opt-in list don’t just happen overnight. There are many preparations and effort to do. Opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organized and manageable. Get or hire help if need be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.

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Raise Your Banner High!

Whether you have a brick and mortar shop, offer consulting or other services, are an artist, photographer, or author, in today’s marketplace you must have a website.

Like it or not, make many or no sales from the Internet – it doesn’t matter. In today’s society if someone has heard about you by referral or publicity the first thing they’ll do is go on the Internet to find you. Now they may have no intention of dealing with you or your company on the net, but if you don’t have a web page for your company you’ll lose credibility with the prospect.

We live in an “instant” society. Instant coffee, drive through restaurants, on-line banking, and a mind-set of “I want it when I want it and not when you’re open”. So when a prospective client wants information about you or your services they’ll look for your web page at a time convenient to them.

That being said and assuming you have a website on the Internet, are you making use of “Banner” advertising? There are many pros and cons about banner ads on sites, and you can get as many opinions about them as there are grains of sand on the beach. They are something to be considered though, and here are 10 killer tips to insure your viewers will click on them:

1. USE REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY – Tell people not to click on your banner. For example, “Don’t Click Here If You Have More Customers Than You Can Serve.”

2. USE ATTRACTIVE AD WORDS – Use words like ultimate, powerful, sizzling, hot, etc. Your words should relate to and highlight your total offer.

3. OFFER A DISCOUNT ON IT – People are always looking for good deals. You could offer a percentage discount, dollar discount, buy one get one free discount, etc.

4. USE IT FOR A TESTIMONIAL – Put a testimonial on the banner and give people proof they aren’t wasting their time clicking on the ad. The testimonial should include enough information so that they understand the offer.

5. USE A FAMOUS/RESPECTED PERSON – If you’re fortunate enough to have a friend or colleague that is known by the public, have them represent your product, site or service. People will click because they’ll trust them over you.

6. USE A STRONG GUARANTEE – You could include the guarantee as a headline for your offer. It could read double or triple your money back guarantee, lifetime money back guarantee, etc.

7. TELL PEOPLE TO CLICK HERE – Newbies to the Internet may not even know they can click on banners. Just having the phrase “click here” on your banner will increase your clickthroughs.

8. ADVERTISE A SAMPLE – Advertising a trial or sample offer will tell people there’s no risk or obligation if they click on your banner ad and try out your product or service.

9. BENEFITS, BENEFITS – Tell people the major benefit to them of your product/site/service on your banner ad. It could be benefits like make money, increase energy, save time, save money, etc.

10. FREE IS A MAGNETIC WORD – You could advertise a “free” offer on your banner. People love “free stuff” but the freebie should relate to your target audience. For example, if I’m offering a book I’ve authored for sale on my site I wouldn’t offer a free sample of chocolate chip cookies. What I would offer free would be a download from my site of the first chapter and the Table of Contents page. This would give them the chance to see if the book meets their needs, and also act as an incentive to get their hands on the rest of the story by buying the whole book.

If you design your banner ads with a purpose, they won't be viewed as a nuisance to your website visitor. Rather, they'll see them as benefiting them with additional information or offers. Do you need help with how to create your own banners? Take a quick trip over to www.mynitch.com/dreamweaver for their easy to follow video training series. They also offer great advertising packages for your banner ads. You can register for a chance to win 5,000 Free Monthly Banners at www.mynitch.com/banners

Don’t confuse “banner” ads with what is called “pop-ups”. They are two very different ad types and “pop-ups” are annoying to web page viewers. The one thing you definitely don’t want to do, is to annoy and discourage the prospect that is viewing your web page. He/she could be your next client.

Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize!

I have a friend whose favorite slogan is, “Organize, Deputize, and Terrorize,” and I’d add “Prioritize” to that group.

Now it sounds fairly simple at the outset, but as you begin to put it on paper strange things begin to happen. Entrepreneurs will begin to see their ideas take form and direction, and even identify some stumbling blocks.

As entrepreneurs, we have this strange system of keeping our goals, visions, and modus operandi in our heads and not on paper. That’s not a sure path to failure, but think of the time when you need a stand-in for your business. You wouldn’t be able to have one take over until they spent about a week in training with you. Instead, let’s put that slogan to work now and get it on paper before we have that need.

1. ORGANIZE – Put your present operating procedures down on paper in the order to be done. Any format that pleases you will do – it may begin with the time to open the office/store or the order in which to accomplish daily tasks. Whatever your particular business needs to function and produce. Think of how and what you do everyday that leads to you being successful, and put it on paper. Here is where you’ll also include your “goals” and your plan for achieving them.

2. PRIORITIZE – Here’s where I’d insert this item. Once you know what it takes to run the day-to-day operations of your business, you can prioritize the tasks by their importance. What must be done first, and what second. To explain it simply, you can’t open a store for business before you have the change money in the cash register. Apply this line of reasoning to your business operations.

3. DEPUTIZE – This is the next item on your paper that tells who will/does accomplish which job or task. What is expected of them each day, and who takes over if they’re not available? If you haven’t assigned particular responsibilities to your staff, perhaps now is the time to evaluate each person to determine who would do which job the best. (As entrepreneurs, we have a tendency to think that nobody else could do a task better than ourselves, but you can’t do everything – and now is the time to delegate.)

4. TERRORIZE – Perhaps this is too harsh a word to use. What I really mean is that once you’ve assigned a task to someone let them run with it, don’t get in their way but keep track of the progress. If you assign a particular job to a person, let them handle it but keep a tickler file so that you can follow-up to see that it’s been done. This is not playing “Big Brother,” but making sure that the ball isn’t dropped and disaster is diverted.

Once you go through this exercise, you’d be amazed at how clearly you begin to see how many of the goals you had at the outset of your business have been successfully accomplished, and which ones still need work in the coming months. You might even surprise yourself at how well you’ve done thus far.

As entrepreneurs we all like to be the “Captain of our ship”, but remember even a Captain needs a crew to sail the boat and bring it safely to port.

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Life is a sales job from beginning to end

Strange as it may seem, our life is made up of a series of “sales presentations”. Sales may not be your gig, but if you’re the boss you’re making presentations everyday. Be it a pitch to your Board, announcing a policy change to employees, selling an idea to your spouse, or just trying to win others over to your point of view – you need to punch up your people skills for winning pitches.

Like it or not we are all salesmen. Our lives are made up of a series of “sales presentations”, otherwise known as presenting one’s self in the best light possible. Whether we’re out for a job interview, trying for a raise, or just convincing our employees that a job must be accomplished – you are making a presentation.

To become masterful at it can be summed up in the acronym IPRESENT!

 I – involve your audience

Human nature is such that people support solutions that they help create, so involve them by allowing your audience to participate with questions or ideas. It goes without saying that to not involve key people is risky, because messages can be misunderstood. Your plans may be derailed before they begin if sufficient “buy-in” is lacking. Use lots of open-ended questions in your presentation to draw out the silent type.

 P – prepare your audience

Preparation is a key to success. Prepare your listeners to what’s coming during or before your presentation. Try these pre-meeting tactics:

• Assign task-related pre-work. This could be pre-reading or study of a problem, and the preparations of possible solutions. An example could be, “go and visit three kinds of accounts before the meeting.”
• Make pre-meeting contacts with those invited by email, phone, or in person. You might want to try an informal survey to get people’s position on the issues at hand.

Remember support on key or controversial matters can be established ahead of time by lobbying, if you know where to lobby.

 R – research your arsenal

Do your research! People who make it look easy and are effective presenters have a hidden arsenal. This is an arsenal of up-to-date, organized material that can be accessed quickly in ready-to-use form when needed. They have the stats to back up their ideas, and they have a mental arsenal of stories, examples, jokes, and ice-breakers to use when needed.

Your physical presentation could include tangible items relating to the issue such as recent articles clipped from newspapers or magazines, photographs, reports, and demonstration property. To become masterful in this art learn to maintain resources you can access for just the right thing at the right time.

 E – explain “Why?”

The next thing you must do is to explain “why?” The single most powerful thing you can do to convince your audience of something is to provide a convincing reason why they should do what you suggest or believe what you say. People want and need a clear “WIIFM” – “what’s in it for me?” – to be able to react positively to what you want them to do. It’s extremely important that you deliver a vision of benefits. Hearing the “why” won’t automatically generate a “yes” to your proposition, but it’ll open the door for receptivity to your idea.

Knowing and accepting the “why” satisfies a basic need that we all have – to understand the purpose of our actions. Use the words “because” or “so that” in your presentation and then finish the phrase. When your subject matter is controversial or likely to generate emotions, it is essential that your “why’s” be tested in advance. Ask some people you trust or that are on your “team” to play devil’s advocate to help you with your logic and arguments.

These are just the first four points for making successful presentations. There are eight of them in total, and we’ll look at the other four in my column next week. For now, let me leave you with this thought.

Life is a sales job from beginning to end. From the moment that we discern how to get approval as children, winning friends at school, getting our first beau, getting our first (and subsequent) job, getting engaged and married, achieving our goals, and anything else you can think of in between – we’re selling ourselves or our ideas all along the way. Who said you weren’t a salesperson?

“S” stands for State (mental) Management. The mental state of the successful presenter must be congruent with the message. If you don’t believe that, try giving a pep talk to your sales force when you’re depressed – it won’t work! You must be aware of and manage your own mental state and that of your listeners or communication channels will not be open. I don’t have space to elaborate on methods of doing this, but here are a few key hints. First, “AAI” – act as if. Act the way you want to feel, it’s amazing how this works. Use music to set the mood if necessary, dress the part, and reduce your anxiety by whatever method works for you. Remember that you’re the one in charge, and presentation mastery isn’t about being perfect – it’s about achieving your objective.

“E” is for eliminating the unknowns. Fear of public speaking ranks high on most people’s list of worst fears. You may find you’re unusually nervous, develop poor voice tone or negative body language, and be unable to respond to audience feedback. Managing your anxiety permits you to focus on your audience and their needs. The basic approach to do this is the asking ourselves a list of “what if?” questions. Another way to overcome our fear is to take ownership of the situation. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Double check your notes, and prepare yourself.

“N” is fudging a little by using the second letter of the word “know” – as in kNow Your Audience. Whether it is one person or many that you are presenting to you must do three basic things: Meet their needs, reduce tension, and avoid mistakes. A good knowledge of the listeners will give you a chance to tailor your objectives to meet their needs. This also allows you to reduce the “audience-presenter” tension so they will focus on what you’re saying. With a clear knowledge of your audience’s views you’ll be sensitive to potential “hot buttons”.

“T” stands for “Tailor Your Presentation Throughout”. Boring listeners leads to missed objectives or total failure. You must be flexible and responsive to your audience. To do this you need to use techniques that will give you audience feedback; you must diagnose the cause of the problem you’re addressing, and finally you must choose the solution to act upon.

When you’re presenting watch for non-verbal behavior such as clock-watching, foot-tapping, and cat-napping. When any of these are present get some feedback with, “Is it too warm in here?” or “Should I pick up the pace?” That breaks the attention or lack of, of the audience and brings them back to your talk. One important thing to remember is that the mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure. Sometimes a simple thing like taking a short stretch break will solve the problem.

The techniques for achieving your most desired outcomes are at your fingertips, when you remember that life is a series of presentations.

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