Ever seen the "Sky Mall" catalog? This will give it a run for its money!

[Dien Rice]

One of my favorite things about flying (in the USA) is getting one of those "Sky Mall" catalogs... For me, a simple pleasure is reading through a catalog and checking out the "wonders" that await inside...

If you, too, love catalogs, then you'll want to check this out. It's the new "competitor" to Sky Mall - the "Sky Maul" catalog! You can check it out here...

http://www.kasperhauser.com/skymaul_site/FlipBook.html (Warning: contains some strong language on a few of the pages...)

I think I'll order the "pepper self-spray" - designed to spray on yourself, to "stop yourself before you do something stupid" (I think I'll need a year's supply).

Cheers,

Dien

Note added: I just noticed, the download PDF version has a few more pages than the online Flash version...

[Ankesh]

Quick Profit Idea: Parodies of Popular Products

Make fun of a product by exagurating its features. Send press releases to announce the product. Make quick sales. Move on to next parody.

--

Btw I love to read SkyMall catalogs too. Some great copywriting in there.

But better than copywriting is their upselling techniques. Anyone who has interest in learning these telephone marketing techniques should do this:

Find the cheapest product in Sky Mall and call them to buy it. Then listen to how they upsell other products. It'll be a great lesson.

(Another thing which you probably won't realize on your own is - Sky Mall doesn't upsell related products only (like amazon.com does). But it recommends other products based on things like - which geographic region are you from, what did other people who bought the same product as you buy too etc.)

I found example of Ankesh's nice quick profit idea about parodies of popular products.

Is there a bigger popular product out there than Harry Potter?

Fans are chomping at the bit for the next Harry Potter to come out.
But to wait for the next one is unbearable and since there's no
Scooter Libby inside the J. K. Rowling inner circle the prospects
look dim until summer time.

So why not write a book about what will be in the next Harry Potter book?

According to Publisher's Weekly that's exactly what a group
at mugglenot.com have just done.

Titled...What Will Happen In Harry Potter 7?

It's 214 pages of pure speculative about HP7.

I think this PPP is a great QPI that could be applied
to many other products.


Here's another QPI for PPP's.

Again according to PW teen book sales are booming like never before.

What are they buying?

More grown up themes.
According to PW this is a global phenomen by the way.

(Could this be a twisted positive link to the recent negative one found between overweight kids and early puberty?)

Anyway since kids are buying mature books what about
more business building books directed toward young adults?

Something to think about I guess.

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Quick Profit Idea: Parodies of Popular Products

Make fun of a product by exagurating its features. Send press releases to announce the product. Make quick sales. Move on to next parody.

Thanks Ankesh and Garth,

What a fun and stimulating idea!

Melvin Powers talks about doing something like this in one of his books (I think it might be "Making Money with Classified Ads", either that one or "How To Get Rich In Mail Order"...)

Back in the late 1970s, a best-selling book was "How To Flatten Your Stomach" by Coach Jim Everroad.

In the wake of that bestselling book, Melvin Powers decided to create a parody. He created the book, "How To Flatten Your Tush", with the "pen name" of "Coach Marge Reardon"!

(For those who don't know, "tush" is another word for your "behind"...)

Apparently it was quite profitable - he sold a lot of copies...

Melvin Powers is still selling the book... You can see it here...



http://www.mpowers.com/books/flattenyourtush.html

Also, you can still buy Coach Jim Everroad's book too... From here



http://www.flattenyourstomach.com

By the way, Coach Jim Everroad's wife, Diane Everroad, has posted to Sowpub before... You can find her posts in the archives... and check out their site (linked to above).

However... I'm not sure what to do when you have my condition - a bulging stomach PLUS a bulging tush!

Cheers

Dien

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

However... I'm not sure what to do when you have my condition - a bulging stomach PLUS a bulging tush!

You do what I do and put a twist on another old phrase, and live by the motto.....

"The waist is a terrible thing to mind"

Jim

Dien, you just do as I do...keep 'rolling along'

Sandi Bowman