Dear Group,

Can you help me? Do you have some good tips? I'm trying
to get started with an Internet business. But nothing
is happening. No money. No business.

I'm doing something wrong. I've done a lot. But most
probably the wrong things. Because those things didn't
bring me nothing.

I have got two businesses and a newsletter. The first
business is programming for AutoCAD. The second
business is e-books.

This is programming. I can write an AutoLISP routine
that creates an AutoCAD drawing within one minute. By
hand it takes hours, sometimes even days.

So an AutoLISP routine is a big time saver. I think I'm
offering a very good service. But I do more. I offer
this service free of charge.

It's like this. Somebody comes to me for an AutoLISP
routine. I write it and I give it to them. Free of
charge. They don't have to pay.

What I give to them is a trial version. It only works a
couple of times. It allow them to see how the routine
works. They can make up their mind.

If they want to keep it then they can come back to me.
I'll ask them to make an investment and then I give
them the full version.

Do you see that? People coming to me don't take any
risk. They only make an investment after they see what
the AutoLISP routine does.

I have written a lot of books about AutoCAD, AutoLISP,
Microsoft Office, and Visual Basic. I'm selling those
books for $ 10 each.

Considering the information that can be found in the
books. I think the price is exceptionally low. Similar
books are sold for much more.

I didn't do much for selling the books. I wrote about
them in my newsletter. That resulted in two orders for
my books. Two. That's all.

I can go to AutoCAD message boards and post an ad for
my AutoCAD books there. That's a lot of work. I'm
afraid it will not bring much.

One of my books is about AutoLISP. My book is in fact
an AutoLISP course. This is something new I started. It
starts with a free course.

I invite people to send an e-mail to an auto responder.
If they do they will get a ten lessons AutoLISP course
at no cost.

The last message is an e-mail telling them that there
is more to AutoLISP. I suggest them that they buy the
book from me for $ 10.

I've got a lot of e-mail addresses of engineering
firms, architects, and AutoCAD users. Every day I
submit ten addresses to the auto responder.

I will also advertise this free AutoLISP course on
AutoCAD message boards. And I will mention it in my
newsletter. But is it going to bring something?

For the programming business I did two things. First I
was sending out e-mails to engineering firms,
architects, and AutoCAD users.

These firms form the group of firms I must target. In
the e-mail I wrote about what I was doing. I wrote
about the benefits.

I have send out about 500 e-mails. There was only one
reply. But the chief designer was out of the office. I
haven't heard from them since.

I wrote seven auto responder messages. Next I was
submitting e-mail addresses to the auto responder.
That's the last thing I did.

Again. Nothing. Nobody came to me. Nobody ask me to do
some programming for them. This again as a lot of
effort and no result.

I want to find new subscribers for my newsletter.
Lately the number of subscribers is going down. This is
something new I'm doing.

I had four articles about a subject in my newsletter.
I've put the four article on an auto responder. I'm
submitting e-mail addresses to the auto responder.

People get the articles. In the articles is mentioned
that they come for my newsletter. I invite them to
subscribe to the newsletter.

Just now I started with this one. I don't know whether
this gave me any new subscribes. But I'm pretty sure
this thing is marginal.

With all the things I'm doing I've put in a lot of
effort. To no avail. So I'm doing something wrong. But
what am I doing wrong?

I'm always looking for better ways to market a service
or a product. I haven't found any better way. Maybe you
could help me.

Give me some feedback.