Do you know what one of the greatest things about having an internet based business is?
Simply that there are about a BAZILLION different ways to do so!
Not only that but you can use setup multiple streams of income so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket.
With all of eBay’s policy changes, I know a lot of readers are nervous about having too many eggs in the “eBay basket”.
It’s simply a smart move to diversify where your income is coming from.
I’ve been doing that for years on the web, and if you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I’m always hammering that point home for you too. 
For that reason I have been researching, testing, and implementing several different ways of making money on the web. These are methods that you’ll find out about my reading my blog.
One of the coolest ways to make money on the web is by setting up websites with automated income.
These are websites that automatically pay you without having to ship product, answer emails, purchase inventory, or do much of anything else!
Sweet!
And what is really wild is that each time you create a new one, you have setup an income stream that pays you month after month.
Your money comes from AdSense and other pay per click networks, affiliate products, CPA offers, advertising etc…
There is nothing cooler then pulling a check out of an envelope for a sizable commission and thinking “Why is this company sending me money?!” :-)
Really, I’ve done that many times. Articles that I wrote years ago, or products I’ve mentioned in the past make sales and next thing you know you’re scratching your head and smiling.
So here’s the scoop…
I’m about to release a training product that will help you create as many income producing websites as you want.
- It will supply you with 500 different templates to form the foundation of your website.
- It will come with 500 different articles covering a ton of different subjects.
- It will come with all the page design and header graphics already done for you.
- It will come with over 3 hours of video training to show you step-by-step how to make your own profit producing website empire.
- It will come with ebooks to show you how to make traffic, work with Google Adsense, get free web traffic, etc.
- MUCH, MUCH more.
Now this will not be a “push a button and become rich” magic solution to all your financial problems.
Friend, that simply does not exist.
It is more like a kit where someone gives you all the ingredients, step by step instructions, and shows you how to make it happen FAST!
There is so much material that it is has to be shipped on a DVD rom!
I’m just about to finalize everything and get them off to manufacturing next week.
My plan is to get 100 sets manufactured and see how fast they’ll sell out.
The investment is going to be so ridiculously low, if you blink, you’ll probably miss your chance to claim yours. 
So if you’ve ever wanted to build your own empire of automated income websites, you can keep informed by
putting your name on the early-bird list by clicking here.
I’ll have more info in the next few days about it, so watch for those emails.
Enjoy your weekend.
..Mike
Making money on the web is all about TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, & TRAFFIC.
For most people trying to promote their own website, getting visitor traffic stops many in their tracks.
No Traffic = No Money!
Last night I just finished reading a guide that teaches how to make affiliate cash without risky PPC & complicated SEO techniques.
It’s 65 pages of pure traffic technique meat, no fluff at all.
I love the author’s style of writing. He’s “cut to the chase”, “don’t mess around”, “get to the point”, “this is step by step how you do it”.
He shares multiple no-cost, proven methods that he personally successfully uses to:
1) Find & select affiliate products to promote.
2) Get traffic to your offers using free and low-cost techniques.
3) How to make more money then others who are marketing the same product (Very sneaky!)
Now part of this is so cutting edge that some of what he discusses is …. let’s say controversial.
But no problem, there are still many other non-controversial powerful and easy methods to use.
The great thing about setting up affiliate marketing sites is that it brings profits in on auto-pilot. You simply set up the first program, make money, set up the second program, and make more money. Set up … well you get the idea!
Just one of these techniques is worth hundreds of dollars, but check this out…
AND you get a “Make 20 Times Your Investment Back Within 60 Days or Less or Owe Nothing” money-back guarantee.
This is seriously one of the best ebooks about getting traffic that I’ve EVER read, and I’ve read a ton of them.
If I paid ninety seven dollars for it I think it would still be a fantastic investment.
WARNING!!! You won’t be able to put this ebook down until you read it cover to cover.
Last night, my wife Camille was out and I was watching the kids. I was trying to hold the baby and feed her a bottle with one hand while holding the printed out ebook in my other hand. You would have laughed if you could have seen it.
There are a bunch of techniques that you can IMMEDIATELY start using with ZERO cost.
Here is what you need to do:
2) Print it out.
3) Bring it to the beach, barbecue, or wherever you’re spending your weekend and read it there.
It’s REALLY that good!
Get it before the price goes up 10X, you’ll be glad you did.
Talk to you soon,
..Mike
P.S. I forgot to mention, I’m blown away by the package already and I didn’t even get a chance to watch the 24 minute training video or even look at the other BONUSES yet.
Well I just got back from eBay LIVE Chicago and wanted to fill everyone on the events that happened.
A highlight of each eBay LIVE is the location. This was the 7th LIVE, and my 6th (I missed the first one). They have been in Anaheim, Orlando, New Orleans, San Jose, Las Vegas, Boston, & Chicago.
If you’ve been a reader for a while, then you might remember my less then favorable impressions of the city of New Orleans. Now to be fair, my house is surrounded by 31 acres of woods, so being in a dirty, smelly, aggressive, immoral city is not really my cup of tea to begin with.
Last year it was in Boston, which was about 1 hour plus drive each way. Since I didn’t stay over, it was kind of a hassle going back and forth.
So, it was with trepidation that I headed off to the “Windy City”. It had been about 18 years since I visited there last. In my mind I pictured it a smelly, loud, dirty, run-down city.
Man, was I WRONG!
What a lovely city. Hey…. I’m one to give credit when credit is due.
Chicago is a Wonderful City!
It’s vibrant, new, clean, and shiny. There is plenty to do and see.
I arrived Wednesday afternoon, checked into the hotel (gorgeous 4-star Intercontinental Hotel on N. Michigan) and walked around the area. That night was the traditional meet and greet at the Marriott where I got to catch up with a bunch of folks I haven’t seen for a while, and meet some new ones.
Got to spend some time with Rob Caskey, who is VP of marketing over at Liquidation.com, a site I HIGHLY recommend for sourcing eBay product. Spent the evening chatting with a bunch of key players in eBay world and met some new people that I’ll tell you more about in the near future.
Ok… so now on to the show.
It took place at McCormick West, a beautiful, almost new convention center. It was big , spacious and comfortable. A great place to put on a show.
But the number attendees was WAY down. When I arrived at 10am Thursday, there was NO LINE! In past years it is MAYHEM at the beginning of the show, but not this year.
That’s not a good sign! 
Not only that, this year the number of exhibitors was much lower then last year. Many no-shows too.
On the positive side they were able to spread out the booths and have really wide aisles.
Although I was hoping to attend some of the lectures, I spent too much time going to the booths, reminiscing about the good ole’ days with old eBay veterans, and trying to predict the future of eBay and how (and IF) we will have a part of it.
The general atmosphere was one of fear, trepidation, and negative feelings toward eBay. This was demonstrated at the keynote address by an abundance of folded arms that applauded less often then the teleprompted script writer has probably expected.
Both CEO John Donahue and Lorrie Norrington (President, eBay Global Marketplace Operation) did a VERY good job facing the audience and doing their best to lead the crowd to a rah-rah frenzy, but it simply didn’t happen.
Boo! Boo!
When the audience booed as soon as she started talking about the new feedback rules where sellers can no longer leave anything but positive feedback to buyers, she said “Bring it on. That’s what communication and dialog is all about.”
Booing is not the typical response you’ll find in an eBay keynote address.
I spoke with many eBay sellers, “eBay gurus”, exhibitors, etc.. and EVERYONE is extremely concerned with eBay’s sledgehammer approach.
Kind of like “It sure looks like this train is about to wreck. Should I completely jump off, or still keep one foot on in case eBay does get it right before destroying all it’s profitability?”
eBay’s “blow up things first, and repair months later” policy is pushing people to Amazon, Etsy.com, and other marketplaces.
Here is an example. The booing came from the new policy where buyers can leave neutral or negative (which are basically the same now) feedback and a seller can’t do ANYTHING about it.
Real Example: A Gold powerseller friend of mine told me how she sold a bunch of items with free shipping (as eBay suggested). Isn’t that a great way to get super feedback! The result was that more then one person gave her a zero rating for her shipping feedback score! Why? They must have felt that since they didn’t pay shipping that the score was not applicable.
The result?
Now that eBay’s mantra about a “Level playing field for sellers” has been abandoned, eBay gives Powersellers kickbacks…..errr… I mean rebates depending on your feedback score. Her free shipping reduced her monthly rebates from 15% to just 5%.
How would you like to eat the cost and shipping AND lose 10% of your entire monthly profit with no recourse to fix the situation?
Nah…. Me either!
Ms. Norrington did give a vague promise of a system that would allow buyers and sellers to resolve these situations between themselves.
It will be available by the Christmas shopping season, about 5 months from now.
Sigh…. “Sorry you’re bleeding to death, but don’t worry, the bandages should be here in about 5 months!”
eBay’s motivation and vision is to offer a great experience for the buyer. Hey, I’m all for that. But you can’t expect eBay sellers to offer great products at great prices, with great service and then rush out a bunch of ill thought out policy changes which obliterate eBay’s already razor thin profit margins, and think that promising a partial solution 5 months down the road deserves a clap of approval.
Ack!
If you check out AuctionBytes.com, they have some really good coverage of eBay LIVE.
Overall the whole event had a negative feel. The small sellers who built eBay on the “level playing field”, and many who make a living with it are being pushed away.
It reminds me of as if your girlfriend is trying to break-up with you in a public place, as nicely as possible so you don’t make a scene, and so she can forget about you and start dating the rich guy with the deep pockets.
The Death of eBay?
No, it’s not the death of eBay. Although eBay is a bigger marketplace then Amazon.com, it has Amazon envy. It seems fixated on becoming something that is not.
Yet what it fails to realize is that while it attempts to perform a “soul transplant” from the eclectic, fun, interesting shopping experience that made it the top shopping site in the world… to becoming a sanitized, “me too”, boring, here’s another shopping site, copycat Amazon clone, it is creating a TREMENDOUS amount of ill-will among those who have been it’s cheerleaders for many years now. These feelings of mistrust, anger, and frustration are driving sellers off to other sites and marketplaces.
Not only sellers, but buyers are leaving too! Many people who USED to shop on eBay complain to me that:
“eBay is not the fun place to shop like it used to be.”
The result is many are skipping eBay when looking to purchase an item.
And it has NOTHING TO DO WITH BAD SELLERS!
I really don’t think that eBay has paid attention to the negative viral impact that disgruntled sellers have on the shopping preferences of potential buyers.
Judging by the atmosphere at eBay LIVE hopefully they realize that the MAJORITY of their sellers and third party solution providers are all venting their frustration to EVERYONE and ANYONE that listens.
Sadly, it seems like they just don’t get it.
Check out some of the blog posts and comments people are leaving at AuctionBytes (who did a very good job of reporting about the event!) Just spend time reading the articles and comments and you’ll better understand the situation.
You should watch this YouTube video too and read some of the comments left there.
It was interesting that Lorrie made a point to mention that eBay recently started calling both their buyers and sellers “Customers”. Yet there customer service is so poor that their TOP selling customers who spent much money and time to go to eBay LIVE are griping continuously about them, booing the executive decisions, shouting back at the speakers (See YouTube link above), and organizing boycotts.
There was ZERO press coverage of the event either. Hmmmm…
The Next Step?
In many conversations in Chicago last week I expressed my thoughts as being “Mad and sad at the same time.”
Why?
For well over 5 years I’ve been helping tens of thousands of people start and grow an eBay business. The result has been many people have been able to make good money selling on eBay.
But as I’ve been telling you for a long time now, DON’T put all your eggs in one basket!
As eBay continues to make these decisions that make it more difficult to make a profit on eBay, you have to be ready to change.
Change means selling on alternative sites, having your own website, and making money using other methods on the web.
I’m wrapping up something that should be a BIG help for those who are ready to make money beyond eBay.
Don’t count eBay out yet.
Hopefully this week will be a week of honest contemplation and soul searching for eBay. eBay is VERY close to permanently burning a bridge that can never be rebuilt again.
In the meantime, the wise person will be looking for MULTIPLE methods of making money on the web.
Stay tuned for more info…
I’m busy packing today to fly out to eBay LIVE in Chicago tomorrow
morning.
I’ll be tied up morning to night Thursday through Saturday
so I have to let you know about this great FREEBIE FRIDAY on Tuesday
Today, I’m going to show you how to gain access to special training
about Dropship Sourcing.
My friends at WorldwideBrands developed
this training with a sell price of $100.00
They have allowed me to tell you how to get it for free.
WorldwideBrands is the BEST when it comes to product sourcing training.
No guarantees for how long you can claim your training for free,
so hurry and click here grab your Drop Ship Focus training at:
Hi Everyone,
Since AuctionTrafficSECRETS opens it’s doors on Friday, I decided to do Freebie Friday a day early!
And it’s a FANTASTIC one!!
Here is the deal…
Back in February of 2007, Mike Filsaime held a secret Private Workshop at an undisclosed location.
Over 100 people paid $5000 for the Workshop.
He then took those DVD’s (Which now sell for $1297) and sold it out in record fashion in under 7 days to 2500 people. Since then… over 3000 people have paid for that information.
The success stories that followed have changed the face of Internet Marketing.
(Filsaime, along with his 37 Staff Members, will do $10,000,000 this year in sales and is credited with showing other marketers how
to grow a 7 figure Business.)
BIG DEAL!
Big Deal?
Recently, Mike hired a “TOP GUN” Internet Marketing Expert and Copywriter (That also attended the event.)
Mike Paid this “TOP GUN” $25,000 to watch all 16 DVD’s of “The 7 Figure Code” and condense it into a Masterpiece…
THE RESULT…
An 85 Page report, no fluff, with all of the Gold nuggets, Pearls of Wisdom, and action plans for you to get in a 1 hours’ read.
That’s right, what 100 people paid $5000 for, and had to sit through 3 days, you will get all of the information crammed into 1
report that you can read in 1 sitting.
=============================================
NOW HERE IS THE INSANE PART - IT’s FREE
=============================================
That is right, Mike Filsaime was going to sell it for $297.00 and was planning on selling 3000 copies in 7 days.
They are already printed, spiral bound, and sitting at the warehouse ready to ship.
But Mike has decided to ship it to youfor…
*** Free ***
(Only While supplies Last.)
All Mike Asks is that you pay the shipping (about $8 or so)
That is it. You do NOT have to buy it. You simply tell him where to ship it and he will send it to you for…
nothing, zip, nada!
But… IT GET’S EVEN BETTER…
>>> Mike was going to upsell the 18 Full Color Process Maps. ($197 Value)
Mike hired the best Internet Marketing experts on Process Mapping, Rich Schefrens’ Strategic Profits, to produce these process maps based on each DVD… 18 in all.
Mike has decided to move the FREELINE even further and give you access to these for Free too (also VERY limited time)
And to prove that Mike has lost his mind (and has clearly landed on the North Pole of Mars,) he is also giving you is best selling
“The Butterfly Marketing Manuscript 2.0″ ($97 Value) for Free as well!
So here is a RECAP of what you get Free
- The 7 Figure Secrets Printed and Shipped to you Door
- The 18 Full Color Process Maps
- The Butterfly Marketing Manuscript Version 2.0
It just went live for a Limited Time and ONLY while supplies last…
So, if you want to be THE FIRST TO GET your hands on The 7 Figure Secrets, go NOW to:
Claim your FREE Training By Visiting Here.
Talk to you soon,
..Mike
P.S - The site just went live , so make sure to get your copy ASAP shipped to your door because when the pre printed copies are gone, you will not be able to get your hands on this.
Hey everyone!
Yesterday, I received a phone call from a reader who thought he wasn’t getting my emails anymore.
“Mike, I love hearing from you on Fridays!”
I explained that I haven’t contacted my readers for almost 3 weeks now.
Man… time flies when you’re working like crazy.
June is almost here! I look forward to going to eBay LIVE in Chicago in the middle of June.
I’ll be spending most of my time in the exhibition hall. If you see me there please come up and say Hi.
With so many crazy changes going on at eBay it should be an “interesting” show.
So let me fill you in on why I’ve been too busy to blog lately.
Auction Traffic SECRETS Training Reopens
Next Friday June 6, 2008 FOR 4 DAYS ONLY!
Back in February I launched the world’s only training course for using eBay as a profitable traffic source. The training shows several methods of turning traffic into cash.
You can check out four instructional videos by clicking the image below.
NEW BONUS LESSON ADDED!
With so much changing at eBay lately, I needed to update the training, so I added a 5th lesson. In this lesson, you’ll learn EXACTLY how to stay within eBay’s regulations. You’ll also learn how to migrate the training over to Craig’s List which is a MONSTROUSLY popular FREE Classified site.
Craig’s List is an incredible traffic source! I’ll share with you my insider tools for cranking massive traffic out of Craig’s list and to automate the posting and tracking process.
You’ll learn how to use both eBay Classified Ads AND Craig’s List to create your own traffic super-highway!
Make sure you put your name on the VIP early notification list Early birds WILL be rewarded!
—————————————————————————————–
I’ve also been busy adding new tools to AuctionTNT.com
New Tool - Popularity Spy
Easily learn the best day and time to have your auctions end.
Do you know when the best time is to sell your item on eBay?
It is when most people are searching for that particular item.
You want your auction to close at the time when the most people interested in your product are on eBay.
This tool will watch your auctions to see the most popular day of week and time that people are viewing it. It then gives you simple to read graphs to determine the optimal day and time to launch your auction.
No more guessing on when you should launch your auction.
In order to get the most bids for your item, you MUST know when your audience is on eBay.
AuctionTNT’s Popularity Spy makes it simple and easy to do that.
Grab your copy by clicking here
—————————————————————————————–
Freebie Friday
I just came across a really cool tool for searching and modifying your graphics files.
If you take a lot of digital pictures then you’ll want this tool.
Here are some of it’s features.
Import about 400 graphic file formatsExport about 50 graphic file formatsMultipage TIFF, Animated GIF, Animated ICO supportImage IPTC, EXIF metadata supportEXIF auto rotation supportIPTC editingResize, rotate, crop supportLossless rotate & crop (jpeg) supportAdjust brightness, contrast…Auto levels, contrastModify number of colorsApply filters (blur, average, emboss, …)Apply effects (lens, wave, …)Fullscreen modeSlide show with effectsBatch convert, batch renameCreate WEB page easilyScreen captureCreate contact SheetCreate or edit Multi-page file (TIFF, DCX, LDF)TWAIN & WIA support (Windows only)Print support (Windows only)Drag & Drop support (Windows only)Compare image side by sideFilmstrip layout44 languages support (Windows only)And many many other things…
Grab your free copy from here
—————————————————————————————–
I’m also working on a project that is totally non-ebay related, so that is keeping me straight out busy.
I’ll have some info to share with you in a week or so.
In the meantime enjoy your weekend and this most beautiful time of year.
When I first started on eBay, I was soooo… addicted.
Anytime I was away from my house my mind would think.. “I wonder how much I sold today?” or “I wonder how much that XYZ item went for?”
Whenever I got home I would race to my auction management tool and see how much money I made while I was out of the house.
Sweet!
Today I’ve got the coolest new tool to tell you about.
It is now possible to check your eBay sales with your cellphone!
Click the picture or click here to watch a quick demo video
You can see your daily total, a list of the items you’ve sold, even check your 7 day and 30 day history.
It’s so… cool!
It’s a great way to impress others while you’re out having fun. Simply look up your sales and show your friends how much money you’ve made while you’ve been out.
If you’re not an AuctionTNT member then you’re missing out on a lot of money making tools! Existing Gold & Platinum members get this for FREE!
Enjoy!
Special Deal - Blowout SALE On JPEGMagic CD Only $9.95!
I’m about to change the label design on my JPEG-Magic CD’s. I’m making the rest of my inventory available for ONLY $9.95 with FREE Global Shipping & Handling
JPEG-Magic is the EASIEST tool in the world for quickly resizing, cropping, brightening, and compressing your digital photos so they load up to 50X faster.
Click here to see a demo video, Click here for the sales page where
it sells every day for $29.97
I’ll be changing the CD label (not the software or contents) to a different design and I have a very small inventory of these in stock.
So rather then waste them, I figured why not have
a Blowout SALE and sell them all out!
Hurry! Click here now to get your copy (if any are still left)
Freebie Friday - Converting Video & Other File Formats
Last week we discussed a free service that automatically uploads your videos to about a dozen of the most popular video hosting sites.
The problem is with some other sites is that they will only accept a certain format. Some want WMV, some want AVI, some want FLV.
Sigh… what’s a traffic seeker to do?
Here’s a site that converts just about any format to any other format.
Not only videos, but documents, word processor files, etc..
Nothing to download.
It’s all online.
Pretty cool tool. Check it out here.
In case you haven’t noticed, the computer world is changing to video.
It has gotten so much easier to create, host, and distribute video that more and more people are getting involved.
Video is a fantastic way to learn too.
For example, back a few months ago, I gave an eye opening presentation about selling digital products on eBay to a closed room seminar. People (at great expense) came from all over the US and Canada to be there. Many that were there requested to get a DVD of the event so they could watch the video again and again. If you want a DVD of the event go here.
Not only is video great for teaching, but great for getting people’s interest.
Have you seen any promo’s for movies about to hit your local theater?
How many times have you seen a commercial for a movie and thought “Hmmm.. That might be a cool movie to see.”?
That’s the power of video.
If you have a product, service, or information that you want to sell then you MUST get to know this powerful medium.
But here’s the problem…
While making video is getting easier, what do you do with it AFTER it’s finished? How are people going to see it?
With sites like YouTube changing the way information is made available, it can be a profitable tool, when used correctly.
YouTube is just one of many video hosting websites that get A LOT of traffic.
The GOOD news is that you can post your video for free…
The BAD news is that you have to MANUALLY post your video on each of these sites, and this can take a lot of time.
The GOOD news is that I’m going to show you a super easy and fast way of doing this automatically and without charge!
Sweet!
Recently I’ve been testing out a site called TubeMogul
You simply upload your video to their site one time and they automatically post it on about a dozen sites.
This saves a LOT of time.
Not only that, but it also tracks how many times people have watched your video. Here’s a sample below:
Having the ability to quickly and easily upload your videos will encourage you to make more and more.
How To Use Video For Traffic
Now while some people enjoy making videos for fun, I prefer to make them to get traffic and sales.
The first thing is you need to people to know about your video and come watch it. The trick to this is making sure you give good thought to the keywords that you use in your video description.
Here is an amazing secret that you might not know. If you create a video and post it on YouTube and other sites, you can be in the Google top 10 spots for your keywords within a few days, maybe even sooner!
So don’t just type anything for your video description, but use popular and accurate keywords that people with an interest in that video would normally use.
Secondly, once they are watching the video you need to get them to visit your website or eBay auction.
Depending on the style of your video and your audience you’ll need to determine how to get those watchers to come and visit you.
There are several ways of doing this.
First is by including a domain name in the description of the video. The problem with this is that many people watch the video without even reading the text description.
The second method is to display a URL (web address) on the video itself. Some people choose to have it on the bottom of the screen for the entire time. Others choose to show it on the screen for the last few seconds of the video.
Which is best? That depends! :-) (Don’t you hate that answer?!?)
…Let me explain.
| |
Although people are getting used to seeing watermarks (the almost transparent station logo usually at the bottom right of the screen) on their TV screens, and flying marquees of text scrolling by on their news shows, seeing a URL is a bit different.
When people see a URL flashed across the screen, there is a good chance that their “Sales Warning Radar” will start going “Beep Beep Beep. Warning..Warning…I’m being sold!!!”
Instead, if you only briefly show it at the beginning and/or end then you will be viewed differently.
It depends on your product, your approach, and your audience.
Billions of dollars are made with infomercials where people KNOW their being sold, but they just can’t help themselves!
You’ll need to try both and measure the response.
If you have an item that is hard to get people excited about in a photo, then video can really make it shine. Is it something that looks better in action, or with someone wearing it, or using it.
Can you demonstrate it online? (Think QVC and other shop at home channels).
If you are selling the item on eBay, here’s a cool trick you can use for the URL. AuctionTNT has a free tool that allows you to show your eBay items by sending people to your eBayID + .AuctionTNT.com.
For example, if your eBay ID is mycellphoneshop, then on the video use the URL mycellphoneshop.AuctionTNT.com (no HTTP or WWW required)
If you have your own website (which you should get as soon as possible!) you should set up a separate sub-domain for each video so you can track the traffic from each one. A sub domain is something like oranges.MyDomain.com, or apples.MyDomain.com. Make the term ie “oranges” or “apples” as short and easy to spell as possible.
So now you understand why those TV informercials send you to an URL like “5.SmartAsAFoxRipOff.com” They can track how much traffic each commercial is sending them.
Becoming A Video Star
On most video posting sites, viewers are able to subscribe to your videos. So when you post a new one, they will be notified. So keep posting more and more videos about your niche topic and who knows… You might become a video star!
How do you learn best?
Are you a reader, a listener, or do you prefer learning by video?
Everyone’s brain is wired differently, so we all have our preferences.
Some people learn well on their own, while many blossom and learn much faster when they have a personal teacher.
Which describes you?
People also have different ways of being motivated to take action.
Some people can buy an ebook, devour it in an hour, and a few hours later have the information in action. Aren’t you jealous!?!
Others thrive when they have someone to answer their questions, get past roadblocks, and TAKE ACTION.
Taking action is the most important part of the equation.
Many people have been collecting information, reading countless ebooks, spending about a gazillion hours on the web trying to figure out how to start your own eBay / online business, but have not made a single penny!
Does that sound like you?
Don’t worry… You’re not alone. It CAN be overwhelming.
I’ve seen that with PlatinumPowerSeller.com. I’ve literally helped tens of thousands of people to start and grow an eBay / Online business through my ebook / CD/ DVD training.
But through countless emails, phone calls, and conversations, I’ve learned that many people need more.
They need individualized training, not some cookie cutter - “one size fits all” training in a box.
For a few years I’ve wanted to fill that need, but since I like to sleep, be with my family, and cannot figure out a way to cram more then 24 hours in a day, it is impossible for me to personally training more then a handful of people.
I knew I needed to come up with something better, and have been working at it for a while now.
For training to work, the following are very important requirements:
- Training has to be tailored to meet each individual’s needs.
- Training has to be tailored to meet each individuals business goals.
Selling physical product on eBay is ONLY ONE WAY of creating a successful online business. My trainers can help you do that plus lay down a growth path.
eBay should NOT be your only stream of income. My trainers will help you create additional profit streams of income through the methods that best match you and your circumstances.
This Is NOT For Everyone
Although I have put together a great team, it would be impossible for us to give the time and attention to everyone.
- If you are not willing to seriously apply yourself, then this isn’t for you.
- If you are looking to get rich overnight, then this isn’t for you.
- If you want to push a button and make money, then this isn’t for you.
How To Find Out If This Training Is For You
I’ve put together a brand new site to explain more. It’s MikeEnosCoaching.com
If you are willing to invest your time and energy, and apply yourself then this training could be for you.
If you are overwhelmed trying to figure this all out yourself then this training could be for you.
If you want to be able to pick up the phone and have a personal member of your team quickly answer your question instead of spending many pain staking hours searching on your own then this training could be for you.
Are you ready to succeed?
Then go check out MikeEnosCoaching.com and see how you can schedule a no charge, no obligation interview with one of my specialists. We’ll discuss your needs, goals, circumstances, business desires, and answer all your questions.
Talk to you soon!
It’s not too often that I get excited about one of those “everything but the kitchen sink offers”, but this one is different!
It’s a combination of software, videos, ebooks, resellable products, etc…
They deal with eBay and Internet Marketing.
The IM Buzz Blowout Sale comprises of most of their best-selling products as well as several generous contributions from their friends in the IM industry.
I just checked out the sales page and I have to agree a deal like this certainly doesn’t come often.
You get over $1000 real value worth of products for a measly fraction of the original price. And unlike many firesales out there, there ain’t any crappy PLR or resell rights products at all.
It’s one of those deals where the price is going to keep increasing, so you want to check out it out before the price increases.
So just hurry down and grab your package while the price is still low!
I grabbed my copy IMMEDIATELY after spending 5 minutes reading the pages. It is a definite no-brainer!
Also… There are only 500 copies made available for this amazing blowout sale. So if you head on down to the sales page and find that it’s sold out, don’t hate yourself for missing out!
Ah… Spring is in the air. Man do I love sunshine.
For those who are unaware, we “Northeasters” have a tendency to be obsessive about our weather. Still, I must be part plant, because when it’s warm and sunny I just have so much more energy.
That’s especially appreciated since I’m weaning myself off coffee. Actually, it’s not that I drink too much coffee. I only have 2 cups of a day. But my “cup” is a stainless steel mug that swallows 5 cups of java, so actually I’ve been drinking about 10 cups a day.
Now that winter is over, I need to shed off the extra hibernation weight I put on. I’m doing the Atkins diet, which works well with me, but only works if I remove ALL caffeine from coursing through my veins.
Hint: If you have been drinking 10 cups of coffee a day for a while, BELIEVE ME… you probably don’t want to quit cold-turkey
I’m almost completely off caffeine and I’m pleasantly surprised at how much energy I have today.
Hence a much robust newsletter.
We have lots to go over this week, so let’s get started!
VERY IMPORTANT EBAY WORKSHOP
First, everyone needs to know about an important workshop that eBay is having FRIDAY April 11, at 2pm PST
Topic: eBay Workshop:
Make eBay’s New Digital Download Policy Work For You
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Friday 04/11
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Pacific time
Location: Workshop Board
Description: The recent change in the Digital Download policy has many sellers of items delivered by download confused and concerned about the viability of their businesses on eBay. Have no fear! Sellers of “delivery by download” merchandise now have an excellent opportunity to adjust their selling and marketing to increase their visibility and their potential sales. Brian Burke and Jim Griffith with be available during this workshop to provide tips and advice to all sellers of downloadable media on a range of related topics including:
- Exploring and highlighting the policy details
- Taking full advantage of the Classified Ad format
- Utilizing effective marketing and promotion of your content items
- Offering content on physical media to boost sales
- How to make sure your all you digital content listings are in full compliance with eBay policy
Since eBay made their announcement banning digital products in regular auctions, without having clarified several policies, things have become chaotic! It has also made a lot of problems with classified ads policies too.
Hopefully the workshop will settle a lot of issues.
Keep tuned, I’ll let you know what gets discussed.
Cool Geek Discovery Of The Week.
I’ve been a geek forever, even before it was cool to be one!
So I still like Geeky things. This one is real handy to know about.
It’s a site that measures the speed of your internet connection, both downloading and uploading and displays it in a cool graph like you see below.
Yes, you should be jealous of my ultra fast connection.
The speed says I can download over 2 megabytes per second and upload about 230,000 bytes (about 4 seconds for 1 megabyte)
Does your online experience seem slow? Find out if your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is to blame.
It’s real easy.
- Go visit Speakeasy.
- Select one of the server locations. These include Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York City, Washington DC (I like trying several)
- The test takes less then 30 seconds and is fun to watch.
- Many ISPs guarantee your connection speed. It’s a simple way to make sure your connection is fast enough and that you’re getting what you paid for.
- If you can beat my speeds, post a comment by clicking the link at the bottom and tell us how fast your connection was.
Really Cool Auction Website For “Crafty” People
According to the dictionary, there are two meanings for the word crafty…
Meaning #1. Skillful in underhand or evil schemes; cunning; deceitful; sly. Zoinks!
Meaning #2. Skillful; ingenious; dexterous.
No worries… We’re talking about the second one.
Are you good at making items with your hands? Do you sew, paint, sculpt, knit, etc…?
Would you like to be able to sell your works of art to people who will gush over your product while simultaneously throwing money at you and begging you to immediately tell them when you list a new item?
Sweet!
This is actually happening on a very cool auction website. The site is called Etsy, and is taking the world by storm. It’s the 1858th most popular site in the world according to Alexa.com, and it’s growing like crazy.
Why?
Some call it Social networking, others call it community. It’s an environment for like minded people to visit and mingle.
I know A LOT of former eBay sellers who have abandoned eBay for Etsy. When I ask why, there are a myriad of replies. Some are:
- eBay would delete their auctions without explanation.
For example, if someone buys a designer’s fabric and makes a pocketbook from it, and includes that designer’s name in the description, they never knew if their listing would be shut down and they would have to fight once again with the “forces that be” to have it relisted. - Another reason are the fees. It cost just 20 cents for each item listed (no matter what the selling price is) and it is listed for 4 months. When you sell the item, you pay Etsy a simple 3.5% sales fee.
My sister Lisa is a very active member there. She is extremely talented and makes some of the most beautiful handbags around.
(Check out Lisa’s beautiful hand crafted works posted on Etsy here)
Another really cool thing about Etsy is that they allow people to vote for their favorite sellers.
How would you like to build your fan base and have your own groupies?
We’re talking people who LOVE to compliment your work, buy your work, mark it as their favorite, and tell their friends.
Lisa has a fan base of over 1107, and it continues to grows FAST. (She gained 8 more on Thursday)
The result? Your fans can’t wait for your next item to come out so they can buy it, and add it to their collection.
Ka-Ching!
What a GREAT way for all you starving artists to become rich and famous, and have people “ooh an ahh” over your work!
When I speak with someone who is on Etsy, they get so excited and go on and on about how much they love Etsy.
eBay used to evoke the same response.
I Remember When eBay Was Loved.
I can remember when mention of eBay received the same response. :-(
Etsy seems to be doing all it can to attract and care for it’s SELLERS, and build a community of individuals, people with life, not soulless corporate entities hiding behind fancy logos. eBay has really gone off track with that.
While they continue to focus on getting more buyers to shop at eBay (a good thing), they seem to want those buyers to only see the BIG BOY sellers, and not the individual Mom & Pop sellers that made eBay what it is today. The passionate, eclectic, and always interesting group of sellers which made shopping at eBay a fun experience. The result is that eBay is morphing into the online equivalent of a typical boring American shopping mall. You know what I mean… Same stores, same product, different town.
eBay used to have that sense of community, although I think it was not of their own making. In the early days, I think eBay wisely (and successfully) sat back as the moms and pops built this wonderful place for buyers and sellers to meet. A place where sellers were able to make extra money, leave their 9 to 5 job and be home with their family. It was an amazing place that just buzzed with positive energy! A place where buyers could have fun hunting for bargains and unique items, sellers could have their own profitable online business. All was good.
Yes, at times eBay had to interfere and slap some hands or sometimes heads ;-), but that’s fine. It IS important to keep the environment safe both for buyers and or sellers. That’s what eBay’s main job was. Keep the town inviting, friendly, and safe so the “tourists” would keep coming to visit.
Were some mistakes made? Sure.
Were some hands wrongly slapped, or slapped too hard? Sure.
That’s understandable, and some quick math shows it’s impossible for it NOT to happen. If you have a million transactions a day, and you are 99.99% perfect, you’re still going to slap either the wrong hand (or head) 100 times made each day.
But that’s not what I’m getting at.
A Plea To eBay
Now eBay, PLEASE do not read this wrong. Don’t think of me as a complainer, but as someone who cares enough about eBay to speak up to an 800lb gorilla, even at the risk of ostracism, or “kill the messenger syndrome”.
eBay has changed my life so much. It has not only allowed me to have a full time business that I run from my home, but it has also allowed me to assist tens of thousands of people to better their lives by helping them start and grow their own eBay business.
Yet with knowledge comes responsibility! As someone in the position of a “clearing house” of information, I hear from people involved in “eBay world” at many different levels. Whether I speak with a small indvidiual seller, owner of a larger seller business, or one of the CEOs from an eBay service related corporation, the news is not good. Being so heavily involved in eBay outside it’s corporate walls puts me in a unique situation of hearing candid comments, whispered facts, and viewpoints from the people in the trenches that paint a not to rosy picture about eBay’s direction, tactics, methods, and future.
eBay was built by small sellers. Mom and Pops who discovered that eBay was an incredibly easy and exciting way to make money right from home!
Every eBay seller can fondly recall the excitement of returning home, and running to our computer to see what we sold while we were gone. :-)
Believe me… Making money while running errands, or away from home NEVER get’s old!
If you stop and think about it… eBay allowed more Moms to be home with their family then ever before possible. For some, it even allowed both parents to have a fulltime business from home that the family could do together!
Of course not everyone wanted to start a full time eBay business. Some stay at home eBayers just wanted to be able to replace a part time income while caring for the children. Other eBayers would just sell off items to make some extra money for a car, vacation, or for a myriad of other reasons.
What kind of business allows you to start for almost nothing and grow it to whatever level works for you? Only eBay! That was AWESOME!
Having the different level of Powersellers was a fantastic idea! It encouraged Mom & Pop sellers that if they worked hard and smart, they COULD do the same.
…And they did.
In the early days eBay seemed so intent on helping their small sellers.
But lately, it seems eBay is intent on doing all they can to get RID of their small sellers, and keep the big sellers.
Let me explain…
Now I understand that eBay is a business, and it requires a lot of resources to run a business, especially if you have a lot of customers (sellers) to support. It’s much easier to support one big seller who moves $1,000,000 a month in contrast to 1000 Mom & Pop sellers who move $1000 a month.
I would guess that most of the hassles , ie… fraud, buyer complaints, policy problems, etc… are attributed to small sellers. (I can almost see the pie chart presentation pointing that out.)
On the surface that generalization might seem accurate, but let’s look at it a different way.
For someone to become a profitable big seller on eBay, they MUST have great systems, great resources, great product, great service, and great skill. They also must BE a professional business if they prefer to not implode, and not end up bankrupt.
Of course every time a BIG seller does crash, there are tons of messes to clean up.
The point is this: Odds are a trouble maker seller will be in the mom & pop category, rather then the BIG seller category.
Yet the bulk of Mom & Pop sellers are NOT trouble makers, so why punish them and chase them out?
eBay’s policy actions sure seem to be going in that direction.
Raising fees to everyone, but only giving rebates to powersellers sure looks like your shooing them away.
Not allowing people to sell digital products in auctions sure seems that way. Are people selling digital junk through eBay? Sure… there will be digital junk just as their is physical product that is junk!
Isn’t the purpose of the feedback system to allow potential buyers to make an informed decision on whether or not to buy from their seller, and even check feedback left by others who have bought the same product (either digital or physical)?
Then why discriminate against all digital products?
In the announcement banning digital items it was stated “Digital goods are often reproduced at little to no cost to the seller”. I know many people who are given items or who buy items to resell at eBay for little to no cost. What’s the difference? Why are these allowed?
Is it because of feedback manipulation? Exactly, what does that mean? If an item does not need to be boxed and shipped does that mean it’s less of a transaction?
If the buyer and seller exchange money and product, and give good feedback to each other whether the product is a digital or physical product, isn’t that a transaction?
If I were to sell an item for 1 cent and ship it for 43 cents, would that be more deserving of a feedback transaction then a $1.00 digital product?
This logic seems inconsistent.
Let’s look at it this way: If Bob buys a $1000 item, and Sue buys a $100 item, shouldn’t Bob’s feedback score increase 10 Times more then Sue since his transaction was 10X bigger?
Not all digital products are junk. While reproduction costs may be low, PRODUCTION costs can be rather high both in time, effort, and expense.
Are digital products really causing problems being in the regular auction section?
If someone does decide to sell a piece of junk ebook, won’t the feedback system quickly get the person to stop selling it.
My Point?
While it gets more and more difficult for small sellers to compete with big sellers by selling physical product on eBay, digital products are an area where a mom & pop seller CAN compete, deliver a quality product to a happy buyer, and make a decent profit.
This deduction comes from knowing the #1 problem faced by sellers… EXCESS COMPETITION.
When dozens of sellers are marketing the same wholesale product that can easily be price researched based on it’s SKU, or ISBN number, there is no way of avoiding the extreme price competition.
But, when a seller can produce his own digital product that can’t directly be compared with another, then the extreme price competition that is roadblocking a seller’s profits can be removed.
This is something many small sellers are doing, simply because profitably selling physical product no longer works for them.
eBay can you rethink this policy for the sake of your small sellers?
Classified Ads.
The same announcement that banned digital items from eBay auctions said they had to be sold to through classified ads.
Yet I’ve heard MANY reports of sellers getting their classified ads shut down for doing that.
eBay, PLEASE define your classified ad policies so that interpretation is not randomly made by various eBay employees, and so sellers can effectively use them.
Classified ads are a FABULOUSLY great idea! Just check the 70th most popular site in the WORLD, Craig’s list It’s all about posting FREE classified ads. I recently sold a car on it and paid zero listing fees and zero final value fees. My friend sold his motorcycle in 1 hour on Craig’s list! Craig’s list is incredible!
Craig’s list is real competition to eBay’s classified ads.
But eBay, sellers would be willing to pay $10 a month for an eBay classified ad even knowing that Craig’s list is free. Why not give them the flexibility to do what they want with it, just like Craig’s list does for FREE?
Let people sell digital products.
Let sellers include as many links as they want.
Let sellers collect names to build a newsletter list.
Let sellers use classified ads as a traffic source for their own website, affiliate products, etc..
Every day I have people unsubscribe from my newsletter list. Each time they go, I ask them to type why they are unsubscribing. So often I hear “I just can’t make eBay work anymore”.
Classified ads have huge potential for sellers, buyers, and a great revenue stream for eBay.
They’ve been around for over 2 years, but many have been afraid to use them because the policy and definition is so undefined. It’s like walking by a rusty bear trap just waiting for it to snap at you and cut off your leg.
Today, I searched for auctions containing the word “the”. I count 13,540,105 regular auctions. Only 6107 (0.0005%) of these are classified ads. Right now they are producing very little revenue for you eBay.
Side point: I couldn’t figure out a way of getting total number of Craig’s list classifieds.
But for fun I went to the Boston one and searched on “CD”. Results? 5474 classified ads!
Talk about HUGE potential!
Why not make them usable and clearly define what can and can’t be done in writing so more people (especially Mom & Pops) can take advantage of them?
Here is your chance to make eBay a level playing field again.
Classified ads have been floundering for over two years. Why not make them an effective tool for sellers to use?
Why not make them something that your sellers are EXCITED about, not confused, aggravated, and scared.
Why not have the policy so well defined and robust so that the environment can grow and prosper?
The growth potential is HUGE. Not only in comparison with Craig’s list, but also in comparison with Google Adwords and the other pay per click monsters.
People want traffic.
People need traffic.
eBay… Your classified ad could deliver that traffic!
Do Classified Ads right and you could bring the excitement and the love back.
Please think it over.
Highest Regards,
Mike Enos
P.S. To Readers: Please click on the comment link at the bottom of this entry and share what you think
New Website Tool Boosts Sales By 20%-40%
Being both an internet marketer and a computer geek, I’m always interested in finding tools to help me increase traffic and sales.
I’m blown away by a tool just released by my friend Dave Guindon ( a fellow computer programmer)
Now I hate to spend a bunch of time rehashing the same information that you’ll find on his EXCELLENT website.
…But here’s the scoop.
It’s a virtual agent that grabs your visitors attention only if they decide to leave the website and not buy your product.
It can offer them a unique “discount” link, bonus, whatever you want.
His videos show it better then I could ever explain it. The videos also show the documented big increase in sales from using it.
It’s a totally genius idea that works!
I love that you buy it once (at the low introductory price!) and don’t have to pay commissions or additional fees.
I’ve got my copy and you need to go get yours here before the price increase.
Two Thumbs Up!
Man… I wish I had thought of it! ;-)
Great job Dave!
P.S. When you watch the videos, count how many times you think (or say) “Wow!”, “That’s cool”, “Great Idea!”, etc..
Freebie Friday:
How To Get More Traffic, Sales, & Profits On eBay.
Last Tuesday night I hosted a live webinar where I explained several ways of increasing your eBay sales and profits. The webinar focuses on tools available to free and paid AuctionTNT members.
The webinar was pretty cool since people could type their questions live.
It kept me on my toes!
Before I share the link to watch the webinar, I want to share a super simple & FREE way of increasing your eBay sales.
One of the tools in AuctionTNT is called “Easy Shortcut Link To Your eBay Auctions”. Have you ever tried to tell someone in person, on the phone, even through email how to find one of your auction items?
Not an easy thing is it? “Click here, look for the link labeled ‘Advanced Search’. Do you see it? No, it’s right there! Are you blind? Are you at eBay.com? Yes, go to eBay.com, just the home page. What do you mean you’re at Google? “
Argggghh… (Sorry, I was just having a flashback) :-)
Being a programmer geek, I knew that had to be a faster, easier, and yes lazier way of sending people to your auctions!
Are you ready?
Say your eBay ID is ‘widgetman’. You can send people to your auctions by sending them to widgetman.auctiontnt.com Now don’t type any ‘http://’ or even ‘www’ stuff.
Nope, it ain’t needed.
Go ahead, try it with your eBay ID in a new browser window. I’ll wait until you get back.
Cool, you’re back. Wasn’t that EASY!
So now that you have an easy way of displaying your auction items, the next logical question is “How Do I Use It?”
How To Get More Traffic Using Easy Shortcut Link
- At the bottom of your email include in your signature “See The World’s Best Widgets at widgetman.auctiontnt.com” Of course you’ll want to change that to match your product and audience
- On your invoices and thank you notes mention it there.
- When you write articles include it as your website.
- When you post in forums include it if possible
- Make labels that you stick on the outside of the packages you ship.
Be creative and you’ll find more ways.
How To Watch The AuctionTNT Webinar Recording.
In the recorded webinar, you’ll find many additional ways that you can both increase your eBay profits as well as add different income streams to your online business.
Click here to watch the video right in your browser.
When viewing the video, you’ll see a button in the player labeled ‘<<’. Click it will rewind 15 seconds. Clicking on ‘>>’ will fast forward 15 seconds.
Webinars are a great way to teach and learn. At the end of the video you’ll see a link where you can give your feedback and make suggestions for other webinars. Send you email to webinaridea @ auctiontnt.com Subject:Webinar Idea and I’ll see what I can do.
Hey everyone. I’ve been evaluating webinar tools to see which works best for teaching my global audience.
Tonight I’ll be giving a webinar on how AuctionTNT can help you increase your eBay profits and create additional revenue streams.
You do NOT need to be an AuctionTNT member to attend.
In fact, if you are not yet a member, then this is the PERFECT time to attend. You will be offered the best DEAL EVER on an AuctionTNT Platinum membership at the conclusion of the webinar.
Tonight you’ll learn how to use AuctionTNT’s FREE and paid tools to make more money on eBay, bring more traffic (and buyers) to your auction and store items, and how to squash your competition like a bug.
It’s tonight April 8th at 8:30pm EDT (New York Time)
But… here’s the scoop.
The webinar can only handle 100 people, so it’s first come, first served.
Simply fill out the box below, and you’ll get the link with all the login info.
What’s really cool is that you do not need your telephone for this webinar. Both audio and video are sent over your internet connection.
See you tonight!
..Mike
Man, what in the world is going on at eBay lately?
First they say you can’t sell digital products in auctions, but that you have to it in classified ads.
Then they start shutting down people’s classified ads that have digital products.
Zoinks! Does the left hand know what the right is doing?
I’m going to attend an eBay radio show, and if you’re interested in classified ads, I suggest you do the same. Here is a snippet of what it’s about:
Special Workshop on Friday April 11 at 2pm Pacific time — Join Brian Burke and host of eBay Radio, Griff for a special workshop on how to use the Classified Ad format to maximize your digital goods business. Please stay tuned for more details on our General Announcements board.
You can read more at eBay by clicking here
Every time there is a major change at eBay it seems it takes a while for the policys to turn from grey to black and white, and for the dust to settle.
But don’t worry, digital products on eBay ARE NOT dead. Sources tell me that eBay is working on the situation as we speak. Hopefully more will be revealed at the April 11th eBay Radio workshop.
eBay’s Affiliate Program
eBay also brought their affiliate program in house this week on April 1st. It has been on Commission Junction (CJ.com) for a long time and has run fairly well using their system.
I do a lot with their affiliate program so I told my programmer to get started switching us over.
The problem is their link creation tools do not work, and it doesn’t seem like impressions are even being tracked. (Chances are if impressions aren’t being tracked, then sales aren’t either!)
To make matters worse, bugs have to be reported by sending a “blind email” (no support ticket system) or by posting a gripe on a forum board.
And BELIEVE ME… There are a lot of gripes out there!
Hopefully it’s growing pains, but c’mon eBay, you can do better then that!
Here is a link to their updated issues concerning the eBay Partner Network.
According to CJ.com:
Here are some answers to key questions about eBay’s affiliate program and