Stretching
 

Well, I started my marketing efforts years ago by giving away my articles and primarily working with pre-new business owners. That has worked out OK, but I'm not living up to my full potential. My best clients, the ones I want to concentrate on are established businesses, having made it through the first year or few years. However, I want to build relationships with those pre-new business owners, too, as simply as possible, since they ARE my potential clients.

It's time for me to take things to new levels. What I've learned is that pre-new business owners either don't have the money to get expert advice/counseling/etc. or they don't see any value in it, or they say they can't afford it. All excuses I know, all reasons why the number of business failures is so high, however, I'm no longer looking to "fight city hall", so to speak. I know I'm generalizing, and have had new business owners utilize my services, with great results, however, it's been a hard way for me to make an income, let alone make the income I want, by doing what I love to do (coaching, consulting and teaching).

I get notes from my ezine readers all the time telling me how successful they became just by reading my articles. From people/coaches who thought about being "x" and were afraid and started their business because of an article they read to people who didn't start businesses because the marketing aspect scared them to death to people who just needed to know where to start, in the maze of information that's out there. Many of those people who write me, are making triple what I am making, yet they wouldn’t have taken the plunge or continued toward their goals if had not been for articles they read on my site. The testimonials are great and wonderful to have, except they’re not bringing me any money/

I recently decided that it was time for me to pay someone to help me do what I help others do. It's been an interesting 2 months since I had someone to look at my business with “fresh” eyes. And I’ve started "stretching" and taking giant leaps of faith. *I’ve always taken leaps, however, one thing I found out by getting some help is that “leaps” for me have to be gigantic… not just leaps.

I'm coming up with a different angle for making money providing services to pre to start up's. and of course I’m open to other ideas, too. I have over 200 articles that are being revised and put into PDF files. I’m planning to sell them, maybe at $1 or 2 per article + sell them as a few articles together in booklets (and ebooklets) + sell them as a bunch of articles together in ebooks + the bigger goal is a book down the road.

My thoughts are to offer what I’ve already created to pre-new business owners at rates they can afford (or want to pay). Give them some things that can help them, and build relationships with them as they grow their businesses.

With the one page articles, I will offer then at $1 each or 5 for $6. The next level is the ebooklets/ebooks and pricing them is where I'm getting lost. For example: I have one 5 pager on Creating USPs/Introductions. It contains a little history of USPs, 2 exercises, lots of tips, and links to over 20 (I think) resources who have given me permission to link to them.

How do I decide how to price this ereport? Is it by the pages? Is it the information it contains? Etc?

And let's say I put it into booklets that I provide at events I speak at, what do I price it there?

Other than assistance on prices, I’d appreciate any other ideas on what can be done with articles other than what I’m doing, which is submitting them to article banks, newspapers and magazines.

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Maria Marsala
Business Growth Specialist




Elevating Your Business

Re: Stretching
 

Maria,

Man, human nature is a tough nut to crack.

Those starting out with a new / pre business venture find it very hard too see the obstacles that lie ahead, and thus, they are very tough folks to sell preventative business tips, concepts, and the like to.

It's the same with marriage. Most folks don't think that their marriage will ever be on the rocks, so they don't listen to those with good marriages or buy the "insights to a successful marriage" that is even available a local bookstores.

It's the same with health care. Most folks seek help...after the trouble starts.

So, the folks you are looking to market to don't even know what they don't know.

There are some ways to approach the situation, but I don't believe that was the actual issue you brought up. Sorry for my rambling, and on to the issue...pricing.

I will just shoot from the hip.

If I look back on my early years, I wouldn't buy articles for a dollar, or pick 6 for 5 dollars.

I would have probably reviewed the choices, and I think you mentioned "over 200" articles, and would probably have walked away. It would be like buying a day timer, a page at a time. Sure, I need all the days in the year, but I wouldn't buy them in "weekly" increments. But I would buy them in a package. Maybe it's just me, but the dollar version doesn't work in my mind.

With that many articles, I would group them into categories, and create topical e-books from the get-go. Then as folks buy them, back-end the other books over time.

You mention, "give them some things that can help, and build relationships with them as they grow their business". Maybe the articles would be better used for the "giving" side, with each article ending with, "This is one of a series of business savvy topics you will find in the expanded version available at whatever.com"

Anyway, I would be the kind of guy that would spend money for the book itself, and not the individual chapters.

As far as the actual pricing, that would depend on my level of trust and knowledge of the author.

For some, I would pay a lot for their stuff. An example is Marty Chenard. Why? Cause he delivers. I won't mention those with whom I wouldn't ever buy anything from again, even if it was at the .99 cent store. Sad to say, but there are a lot of those guys out there.

Regards,
John Palma

P.S. For those of you who know me through the Las Vegas Business Secrets Newsletter, it is due to be back on track in September.

I started a new "real world" (not internet related) business here in Vegas that completely consumed me. The September issue will explain everything, in step-by-step detail. Sorry for not communicating with all ya'll for the last 4 months.


Weekly Tips For Those Who Have Or Are Considering A Home Business

Re: Stretching
 

Hi Maria,

You might want to consider using your 200 articles to create some sort of email coaching newsletter that people could pay to subscribe to.

I subscribe to such a list created by Barbara Winter called DreamBuilders -- they charge
about $52 for it and send out an article weekly on a specific business theme. I think you might be able to do something like that with your articles. If people have told you how much the articles have helped them to be more successful in their business then you definitely have a saleable product. Here's the link to their site:

http://emailcoaching.net/emailcoaching/index.asp

Also, if you are not already a member of Coachville, you should join and check out some
of the free courses they offer on creating passive income for your coaching business.

Hope this helps,

Linda Locke

Re: Stretching
 

"the folks you are looking to market to don't even know what they don't know. "

Yes, that is very true! I think that hiring or getting help weeds out those who are deeply commited from those who aren't. I see the difference even a few months of help provides someone. What's the saying "insantity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" I love watching my clients increase their incomes or decide that "business" is relly not their dreams. Either way, they end up doing what they were meant to be doing.
> There are some ways to approach the
> situation, but I don't believe that was the
> actual issue you brought up. Sorry for my
> rambling, and on to the issue...pricing.

Feel free to contact me regarding that issue. I'm always open to new ideas.

Thanks so much for your insights. I will take them all into consideration!




Elevating Your Business

Re: Stretching
 

Thank you Linda,

Yes, I am putting together a Weekly Article Program.

Actually I am a founding member of Coachville and a student of the Graduate School of Coaching. I had the honor of working with Thomas Leonard as his "Special Project Manager" from 1999 to his untimely death this year. I was hired to do anything computer or Internet related, so lots of my research is woven into Coachville work.

I came here, vs. going to Coachville or my other Coaching lists because I wanted different "thinking". I find that things get can get stale when you're always around peers.

Here for those who want to see is the "whole picture" of what I'm considering doing with my articles. I'd love comments on any/all of them. What you think will work, what you think I should do first, and pricing ideas, too.

-sell 5 articles for $5
-article a day or week ecourse
-free newsletter (I have this)
-paid newsletters/ecourses
-turn them into teleclasses (I've done some of this already)
- Put them on CD Rom and Sell them
- turn them into workshops and in person seminars
- send to magaiznes
- tape teleclasses/seminars and sell the tapes
- create top ten lists and submit online to www.topten.org (done)
- submit to article banks (done)
- create a series of ebooks and booklets
- create my first book.




Elevating Your Business

Re: Stretching
 

5$ for 6 articles? Who would buy? Firstly - the teaser for the articles have to be solid to sell single articles. Or no one will buy single articles.

Its way better to compile 3-4 to 10-12 articles (depends on article size) into booklets and sell them.

But dont devalue yourself. Charge higher. If you want some truck driver who wants to open his business as a client than charge a low fee. If you want some fortune 1000 company to hire you - charge a high fee.

Even if your content is top class - but you charge way low - you wont get hired by big companies.

=======

Secondly try something like harvard business review and comic strip writers and many other writers do. Charge per 100 copies. Harvard charges 400$ for 100 copies of 1 article. But thats because hbr is now a very well known brand.

Some small time comics charge 10$ for 100 copies. And give a special rate to newspapers and magazines. You cant expect a newspaper of circulation of 10000 to pay $1000 for just 1 article especially if that newspaper doesnt earn much.

But if you use this tactic of mass copy liscense - you will have to see that your articles are top notch. That your articles do provide information. You cant just write articles to sell your services then. You will have to write them to educate people.

============

If you do have 200 articles - you should look forward for publishing a newsletter. A paid newsletter. Just rehash your old articles - update them to reflect todays world. Change a few sentences - add a few new stories. And publish a monthly newsletter.

And if you cant seem to write a newsletter with enough unique content every month - you can always joint venture with some other coaches and ask them to contribute a few articles.




Inspirational Quotes and Stories

Re: Snap! [DNO]
 

dno

My experience is quite different
 

>>What I've learned is that pre-new business owners either don't have the money to get expert advice/counseling/etc. or they don't see any value in it, or they say they can't afford it.