The Old Submariner and The Balloon Master

Gordon tells me I'm good at creating headlines. Maybe he just says that to make me feel good. *g* I probably got a little carried away with this headline. *g* Anyway, if you keep reading you'll soon see that there is a tie-in between the subject and the message. So using an old Gary Halbert copywriting technique...

Onward.

Gordon recently posted some information about Charles Prosper and his balloons. I'm curious. How many of us actually visited Charles' site and learned a thing or two? Did you actually take the viewpoint of being an interested candidate, (even if you weren't), and try to see what Charles is offering his target market? (And BTW, if you not interested in Charles' balloon wares, that's OK. Because that means his marketing is working. He only wants what Prince Gary called a "hungry market." Otherwise, you can surf right on by and it doesn't bother him one bit.)

Or did most of us do like I usually I do and look at the site with a jaundiced eye thinking, "Well this is fine Gordon but what does this really have to do with me? I'm a marketer and this guy is selling balloons!" Well, listen up balloon breath! Gordon gave us a goldmine by referring us to Charles' site. Here's what I learned in just a few minutes on Charles' site.

1. Charles has some banner ads on his site but look closely at them. They're not the run of the mill banner ad sending you to 50 different affiliate programs. The banner ads Charles has are for free reports on *his* site! What a great use of banner ads.

2. Charles has also implemented an affiliate program. But look closely again. This is not your mother's affiliate program. Charles' affiliate program uses a sig that you can use in any e-mail, board post, whatever. I've seen this done only a few other places but there's a difference. Charles' affiliate program would be simplicity itself to sign up for and use. You register, create the link, copy the sig from his site, and you're off and running. Not only that, the sig looked like pretty good marketing copy as well.

3. Here's something that every single one of us should take as a lesson from Charles. Charles started in the balloon business something like 20 years ago. He developed his balloon business into of the most successful balloon businesses in the country. And *then* Charles added information products. If you're a ballooneer, (or a wannabe), you can buy a balloon business start up kit from one of the true masters in the balloon business. You can also attend seminars that Charles gives for that industry.

4. Here's something I forgot to put in my e-mail to Gordon about all of this. Charles also has an auction. But again, look closely. Does he have everything under the sun available in the auction? No! It's stuff that only a balloon maker could love. Same thing with the buy/sell forum.

So what does all this have to do with you, the reader at Seeds of Wisdom? Well, Charles Prosper has done a masterful job of identifying his markets and selling to them over the years. Then he went one better and started selling shovels to the miners or in this case balloon startup and business information to balloon folks. And lastly, he's giving balloon gurus a place to auction and trade their stuff. This is one guy who really seems to "get it" when it comes to putting his business online.

The question now becomes one of application. How can YOU take the lessons that Charles Prosper has taught and apply them to your own business? It's one that I asked myself in depth this morning as I was thinking about all this. I'm going to execute my own POA and incorporate many of these ideas into my revised web site.

Oh yeah. The tie in with the headline. If you haven't already figured it out, Charles is the Balloon Master and Gordon well, you can guess which part of the headline fits him on your own. *g*

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"

Thanks Rick,

for going and seeing what Charles has done.

There is more to that site than meets the eye. He has done for four years what Jim Straw is doing.

He has tested, tested, tested.

His site looks nothing like it did. But it was working 4 years ago, and he could have just left it alone.

But what you see is state of the art. Charles figured that not everyone has a website, but everyone has e-mail (who is on line) and built his affiliate program that way.

Did you by any chance hit one of the links to his competitors? The marketing "strategy" being touted by the big guys?

Each time you visit a competitor, there is a link with Charles' site on it to take you back.

He doesn't sweat the competition. He praises them and says they're good. He does have his degree in psychology you know.

But he uses what Faith Popcorn calls "peripheral vision" to market against his competitors.

Each page is VISUAL for a reason. It may annoy a visitor who isn't interested in balloons, but someone in the business or WANTING to get in, SEES,

and the visual experience is important to people going into a visual medium...

The reason I send people to study the site, because it has a totally integrated approach and as you have pointed out, there are some things that a person seeking to do well on the Internet could learn from.

Thanks for taking the time to go and see what is really there, a PROFITABLE and constantly improving web site.

Gordon (Peace Man) Alexander

So you thought the world's richest man was Bill Gates? Well, maybe most of the time.... but sometimes someone else nudges him aside....

Thanks Rick for that wonderful post! We can learn a lot from masters like Charles Prosper. :)

Rick, I'm glad that you posted.... Did you notice that I mentioned you in the story of my trip to visit Gordon? I hope that's okay. :) We had some pretty interesting discussions there at the Cuyahoga Falls Sheraton!

As I recall, you had some pretty interesting stories to tell.... :)

Here's a news story I recently came across.....
When Norwegian Ole Andresen, 29, checked his account via the Internet, he found a 9,999,999,973,885.24 kroner (US$1,123,999,997,065) bank error in his favor. It made him - briefly - the world's richest man.


It seems that -- for a brief time -- Bill Gates was nudged aside by Ole Andresen, who was the world's first trillionaire!

And it was thanks to the internet! (Internet banking errors, to be precise.) :)

Thank you Rick for pointing out some other ways of making money online -- which may help us to hang on to our money a bit longer than Ole Andresen did. :)

Cheers :)

Dien

Gordon wrote -

> He has tested, tested, tested.

Another important point not immediately clear at first glance.

> But what you see is state of the art.
> Charles figured that not everyone has a
> website, but everyone has e-mail (who is on
> line) and built his affiliate program that
> way.

An *excellent* way to run an affiliate program and one that most marketers miss.

> Did you by any chance hit one of the links
> to his competitors? The marketing
> "strategy" being touted by the big
> guys?

No. I missed those. I'll obviously need to go back for another look.

> The reason I send people to study the site,
> because it has a totally integrated approach
> and as you have pointed out, there are some
> things that a person seeking to do well on
> the Internet could learn from.

> Thanks for taking the time to go and see
> what is really there, a PROFITABLE and
> constantly improving web site.

Well worth the visit.

An additional comment on your statement about the visual nature of the web site. Linda Caroll contends that as the web "grows up", having visual images becomes more and more important. Yes. Content is still king but you have to get people to stay there long enough to read it. Her contention is that if you don't have a captivating visual image to make them want to stay and read your content; they're gone faster than you can say "Sqaure One Workshops". She must be doing something right. As I mentioned on the phone, she's done web sites for some of the most well known names in online marketing. Those are some of the reasons she's redoing "The Net Guerrilla" site. *g*

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"

Dien wrote -

> Rick, I'm glad that you posted.... Did you
> notice that I mentioned you in the story of
> my trip to visit Gordon? I hope that's okay.
> :) We had some pretty interesting
> discussions there at the Cuyahoga Falls
> Sheraton!

Yes. I did notice you mentioned me. And yes. I thought it was fine that you mentioned me. In fact, I was somewhat flattered. I did notice however that the pictures we took with Gordon in your hotel room didn't get published. *g* (I'm kidding of course.) It's probably just as well. I'm not sure if the world was ready for that. *g*

> As I recall, you had some pretty interesting
> stories to tell.... :)

Well, I've got one or two in the bag. I'm keeping some of them under wraps until it's time to publish them here on SOW. With luck, I'll have another story or three after I attend Dan Kennedy's marketing conference in early October.

> Thank you Rick for pointing out some other
> ways of making money online -- which may
> help us to hang on to our money a bit longer
> than Ole Andresen did. :)

You're welcome. My main reason for writing that post was because I learned some important lessons when I visited Charles' site. After some reflection, I realized those lessons were too important to keep to myself.

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"

> I'll have another story or three after I
> attend Dan Kennedy's marketing conference in
> early October.

Rick ~

I just purchased some Dan Kennedy materials and am looking forward to listening to the tape set as well as reading the material.

Would you be so kind as to give me an overview of his materials if you've previously been exposed to them?

Also, some details on this upcoming conference?

I have heard of him, but have never purchased anything by him before.

Any light you could shed, sort of a synopsis, would be appreciated.

~ Mike

Mike,

You'll get a lot from Dan.

I've read his stuff and watched his videos.

There was ONE thing that in my opinion sums up DK.

He attended a BIG conference with PROFESSIONAL speakers. The top of the heap.

ONE old boy, a reknowned platform speaker was going on and on about how much work it takes and dedication and was telling Dan to keep working at it hard and ONE day he too will be at the top.

Dan asked what kind of income he could expect from all this HARD work and effort.

The old PRO told him that MAYBE, if he worked his butt off, just maybe in FIVE YEARS he could also make $100,000.00 bucks, MAYBE he too could break the 6 figure PROFESSIONAL mark.

Dan's response?

And he had only been a "platform" speaker for a year, was:

"I already make that much."

It was an enlightening moment for Dan Kennedy and for anyone who listens to him tell the story.

He discovered the PROS, the elite, the top of the field were not all that "smarter" or better...they were just more well known.

That is when he quit taking advice and started giving it.

The part that Dan probably makes the least public is his work with TV infomercials. Most everything else is readily available I think.

Now, let me tell YOU something my friend, I'd bet you'd find Dan Kennedy to be a good salesman, better than YOU? I doubt it...but...

he is better known...for NOW!

Gordon Alexander

PS. I prefer Dan's stuff over Jay Abraham's but they resonated about the same, both have that old Halbert tune sung through them.

Mike wrote -

> Would you be so kind as to give me an
> overview of his materials if you've
> previously been exposed to them?

Sure. I have a fair amount of Kennedy material. I think the biggest thing I learned from Dan Kennedy was how to apply the USP test. Dan says it like this: "Why should I do business with you as opposed to all the other options that are available to me, including doing nothing?" Dan was also responsible, (although I doubt he knows it), for vicariously introducing me to a whole host of other marketers such as Ted Nicholas, Ted Thomas, Gary Halbert, etc., etc. The other thing that I credit Dan with, (and again I doubt he knows it), is turning me on to the old masters such as Claude Hopkins. I bought some books by the old masters through Dan's Inner Circle when I was a member. And indirectly from Dan, I learned about Carl Galletti. From Carl, I purchased "How to Write a Good Advertisement" by Victor Scwhab, another one of the old masters. This might be one of the most valuable books in my marketing library. From Carl I also purchased some of John Caples' work. Again, priceless. So... Dan Kennedy has had a great influence on me even if some of it was indirect.

> Also, some details on this upcoming
> conference?

This is being billed as his last conference. I don't have the specific details as I was invited by another marketer. Apparently, this conference is only available to Inner Circle members. Evidently IC members were allowed to invite associates for very reduced prices. (That's how I got invited.) I imagine if you call Dan's office and join the IC, you can get the details. If you wind up going, it'd be great to meet there!

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"