The SECRET to success, is to master the...
 

SEQUENCE.

Dien and I like to use the Harvey Brody method of climbing rungs up the side of the building to get to the rooftop. The view from the rooftop is the project completed, it is the last part of the SEQUENCE.

In our new beta testing for the private members only forum...we are working to develop an automated sequence which any new member will be able to follow. An automated online business which we have limited roles in is our goal. It isn't easy.

For marketing purposes, online or off, I use this 7 step sequence.

1) Target market. Starving crowd. Seekers. Wannabees. Maslow movers up the pyramid.
2) Something to sell to this clearly identified market;, a product, service or knowledge.
3) A promotion with way to accept their money.
4) A place for the promotion.
5) A delivery method.
6) An information, data, buyers management system.
7) Additional products and services the buyers would be interested in.

These 7 steps follow the Funnel Model, but, they could be a one off or one time sale too. If selling a car or RV for 100k each, then a one time buy is great.

In the world of INFORMATION Products, a family of related information, often at higher prices as the customer gets higher up the ladder, is a tested and proven method.

In Ben Suarez' book, 7 Steps to Freedom II, we had a flow chart of the 70 critical functions, the steps, from concept to end of project.

By perfecting this SEQUENCE, Ben was able to build a 100 million dollar company.

So, if you start thinking in terms of a sequential transaction, you may be able to identify the bog down points, the slop, the rungs of rust and avoid disaster while expediting success.

SEQUENCES...GOT ANY???

Gordon

PS. This graphic shows a Writer's Toll Booth, the Gate Stops them, the Toll is collected...it is step one or 3 in the sequence, often a FREE gift for an email tossed into the booth gets the gate to open.

Re: The SECRET to success, is to master the...
 

My first "job" after Engineering School was at General Electric Corp in downtown Chicago.

2 weeks into the "job" at an Office Luncheon, a secretary came up to me and told me that "I was hired to replace an engineer who had been with GE for 29 1/2 yrs. He was FIRED just short of receiving his full, vested, retirement benefits."

I went home that day and asked my young wife, "Let's see....if I stay at GE for the next 30 yrs and just b4 retiring....they fire me! I don't think so!"

So.....I spent the next few mos hunting for a way I could start my own biz. I found a company in Florida that had a new kind of "Home Burglar Alarm System".

I flew down...took a look and became a Dealer. Went to my bank and opened a business account with $500....and proceeded to sell Burglar Alarms to homeowners on the North Shore of Chgo.

8 yrs later I sold the biz and moved to the mountains of Colorado....where I found 2 Alarm Cos handling the sparsely populated town (7,000) of Aspen.

So, I learned a little "secret" about finding the "pulse" of a community; Go to the fanciest Bar in town at 3pm.....a time when the "movers & shakers" were stopping in before going home.

While sitting at the bar I overheard some guys talking about "How were they going to promote their new Radio Station".

I remembered a promo program the radio station in my Chgo suburb town (Evanston, Ill) put on every year to promote their station. I won't go into details. I called it "BUMPER BUCKS" which involved 20 biznesses paying me $495ea for a 13 week program that not only got local consumers into participating biznesses and.....also got them to Listen to the Radio Station.

I then proceeded to set up the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Annual "Aspen Home Show" and.....MANY, MANY more Promo Programs.

I considered my "Advertising & Marketing" biz as a sort of "HURDLE RACE"! When I got one of my "Hot Flashes".....I jumped in and DID IT!.....then, got another "Hot Flash" and Jumped that one.....etc.....until some yrs later I had started over 50 Programs.

Sure....I had some failures along the way. I termed it; "Failing Forward" and "Ya Never Know unless ya Tries!"

One of my best was "Putting Ads on Video Rental Cases". This was when Videos were placed in Plastic Boxes.....given to local consumers who took them home.....put the videos into the VCR and the boxes on their coffee tables!

I found I could ft 6 business card size ads (3 on each side) on the plastic boxes. At one time I had 20 Video Rental Stores handling my "Ad Cases".

Anyways.....I've had an "exciting ride".....looking for "opportunities" rather than "jobs".

Thanks for reading,

Don Alm.....long-time entroopreneer

Re: The SECRET to success, is to master the...
 

Right on, Don!

The "Secret", if there is one, is to take ACTION.

MOst ideas never get beyond the fantasy stage because
of the failure to take ACTION.

The Don Alm SEQUENCE you can follow.
 

Don's SEQUENCE looks something like this:

Hot flash, idea.
Mock up with someone on it.
Show to biz.
IF Yes, get referrals.
Call biz from biz buyer as referral.
Stop in show mock up now with friend buyer on it.
Fill up the spots with rinse and repeat.

Next hot flash.

It is a very good sequence for selling advertising in any form. I made a ton of money off of Don's menu board program, with slight moification, I used liquid nails and "pop off" ads for higher profits ( I could offfer 90 days instead of a year).

His SEQUENCE has been perfected over the years so now, when he has an hot flash he has a historical sequence with results he can call upon.

His hungry market has been small biz looking to increase profits via more customers.

Great example of what I was talking about Don, thanks.

Gordon

Re: The SECRET to success, is to master the...
 

I just remembered another experience of mine where I had created, what I thought, was a New Idea in "Portable Alarm Systems". I saw an ad in the local paper that told about an "Inventor's Class" starting up.

I thought this might give me a chance to "Rap" with fellow "Product Creators" so I could "educate" myself on what's involved with applying for a Patent.

What I discovered was.....a bunch of people "Scared-To-Death" of their "Idea" being stolen so......they really didn't let out much, if any, info about what their Product was.

Yes.....I gained knowledge on how the "Patent" process works but....I'll never forget the "FEAR" these folks had.

In fact.....because I'm an "outspoken" person.....many times I suggested; "Why not GO FOR THE GUSTO!......get YOUR Product onto the Market Firsto! Be the "Firstest with the Mostest!"

Well.....a guy in the class had a "meeting" with SEARS and.....though he was EXTREMELY Careful about showing his "Tool".....he HAD to SHOW it! With, the result being that.....even though he spent about $20,000 in Lawyer's Fees and other stuff......SEARS.....STILL ripped him off and came out with a similar product....."daring" him to come after them!"....which he did.

He filed suit and.....TEN YEARS LATER.....he won a judgement which covered most of his attorney fees plus.....maybe an extra 100k. Whoopee Fizz!

Then.....when I had my Burglar Alarm biz I met the owner of a Plastic Molding biz who had me install an Alarm System for his plant.....both Fire and Burglary. And.....one day, as I was walking thru his warehouse I noticed a whole stack of boxes in a corner of the bldg.

I asked him what these were and he told me someone had paid him to make 250,000 of them and proceeded to run out of money to promote them. So, the owner told me if I had an idea on how to market them...he'd pay me 25cents each (250,000 x .25 = $62,500) which in 1975 was BIG BUCKOREENOS!

So....I went to a buddy (from college) who specialized in making "Product Commercials" and had him make 3 commercials for me.

Ohh....the product was a Plastic Bar about 3ft wide with Paddles at each end....with a long rubber band attached at the middle and a rubber ball at the end of the rubber band. The idea was to.....get the rubber ball going back and forth between the paddles.

My "TV Commercial" buddy even had his 10yr old son get practiced enough so he could really....bounce the ball.....paddle to paddle.....even, behind his back. He made a SUPER Commercial AND.....because his son was IN it.....he told me he'd forego Billing until after we had sold a bunch.

I then took the TV Commercial to my contacts at Walgreen's Drugs (I had installed MY Alarms in MANY of their stores so I had GOOD "contacts" there. I even got the great grandson "CORKY" to not only pay me to install an Alarm System in his LakeFront Home but to also install Alarms in all of his Fast Food locations (Corkie's Burgers)

So.....we "loaded up the Walgreen Stores with Boxes of the Product" and proceeded to run the commercials.

Amazingly.....consumers were watching the commercials AND.....going into the Walgreen Stores to BUY the product....which was priced at $2.99!

When I heard the sales results after the first week.....I was Blown Away. I phoned the MFG and HE was very excited. Same with 2nd, 3rd and 4th week!

THEN....everything came to a screaching HALT! One of the Walgreen Marketing executives had come back from a visit in the UK and found that the Name of the product....."TEENY BOPPER"....STAMPED on all 250,00 was a "DOWNER" in England! It was "associated with" "bummer kids"!

Not that ALL "Marketing"stuff is tried and tested in the UK first but.....in the case of THIS product...it was.

So.....my contact at Walgreens phoned me to come in the next morn.... whereupon I was told they have to "Suspend" marketing!.....due to the "bad Image" of the word "Teeny-Bopper" in the UK and....it would only be a short span until this word became a "Bummer" in the US....and it could "harm" Walgreens Image!....of being a "Wholesome, FAMILY Oriented" biz!

Well.....I was able to cover most of my costs in putting this together and..... what I learned from this was......1) Ya never know unless ya try and 2) STUFF can happen from out of nowhere that you were NOT considering!

So.....when THIS kinda "stuff" happens.....you just "lower yer head and CHARGE FORWARD....with the belief that....HEY! This one didn't come out as you had planned BUT.....I ain't giving up on TRYING!"

Thanks for letting me pull off an old experience from my "Memory-Hooks"!

Don Alm.....looong time Entroopeneer