*==============================================* M A S T E R N E T W O R K E R The Art of Building A Business by Professor Lon Lindsey MASTER NETWORKER #44 September 3,1997 *==============================================* INSIDE YOU WILL FIND: "The Art of Building A Business - "How To Profit On The Internet" by Harvey Segal. The Archive of Master Networker Publications What's Hot Directory" Our weekly one liner. The humorous side. The Master Networker recommended business web page for the week - An old and stable business that will always be there for you. Master Networker Recommended Readings ================================================== Hello fellow "Master Networker" subscribers! This is number Forty four in the Master Networker series. If you happened to miss the first forty-three publications, you can retrieve them at: http://masternetworker.com/mailfiles/mailfile.html or you can retrieve them by email from the auto-responder: MasterNetworker-issue-#.txt@masternetworker.com Substitute the desired issue number in place of the "#" Example: mailto:MasterNetworker-Issue26.txt@masternetworker.com or go to our webpage and click on previous articles. go to: http://www.masternetworker.com **************************************************************** Business-minded people who are new to the Internet are hungry for practical information regarding how to profit from the Internet. Combining network marketing and marketing on the Internet makes sense. My expertise is network marketing. Harvey Segal is an experienced Internet user and is well versed on how to utilize the tools of the Internet for marketing purposes. Harvey has agreed to provide today's article for the Master Networker subscribers. I know you will benefit tremendously from his knowledge as you continually look at the Internet as another marketing approach. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This is a reminder that the Master Networker series is purposely set up for the beginning networker or for those considering networking or even for networkers who have yet to be successful in networking. This means that The Master Networker series covers basic networking principles with the purpose of developing a firm foundation for networking. "The Master Networker" will be void of information that will thrust you to a $90,000 income within 90 days or a $15,000 monthly income without doing any work. Why? Because that isn't how networking works. I've been in networking for thirteen years, and I have yet to meet anyone who has obtained networking riches without working for it . . .especially $90,000 in ninety days. This series is about the real world of networking. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> HOW TO PROFIT ON THE INTERNET by Harvey Segal ============================= Over 50 million people have access to the Internet - and yet it is still in its infancy. Every month sees millions of newcomers and thousands of businesses setting up online. Combine this huge, expanding audience with the fact that marketing and advertising can be done on the Internet at a fraction of the costs of traditional methods . . . and you have a situation where the potential for online success is unlimited. Here is a 7-step guide to ensure that you will cash in on this growing boom. 1. DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SELL ==================================== The online business opportunities that you will come across can be neatly divided into two areas: (1) Products (2) Services. 1.1. Selling Products When you sell a product you can either carry out the whole operation of handling orders, stocking and shipping the goods, processing the payments OR simply market for a company that will handle all the administration for you. Your job is merely to get the orders to the company and then receive commission. == What product sells well on the Internet ? == The item that has been hailed as the number one business product of the future is . . . INFORMATION. Examples of highly successful information products are the 'how-to' and self-improvement books. If you are knowledgeable about a particular subject you could consider writing and developing your own product and delivering it via Email. 1.2. Selling Services One advantage of selling a service is that you can often generate a 'residual' commission - a monthly income all the while that the customer continues to use the service. == What service is suitable for online selling ? == As the Internet boom continues the most obvious candidate is any service which assists companies in using the Internet. For a superb example look no further than the familiar autoresponder. An autoresponder spends 24 hours a day delivering information to enquirers from classified ads or news articles. If you have ever had to reply manually to 100 responses to an ad you will realise the importance of an autoresponder to any business setting up on the Internet: in a word . . . INDISPENSABLE. 2. HOW TO ADVERTISE =================== 2.1. The 2-STEP Approach The usual method of advertising is to have short Classified Ads which leave the reader in a state of enticement, so that he then asks for the full detailed information in your sales letter, ideally sent by autoresponder. The purpose of the ad is not to try to sell the product - it is simply to get interested people to respond. As your ad may be competing with dozens of others in the same publication you must aim for a winning headline to make it stand out. Use key words which attract readers such as . . . Free, How, You , Money, Secret. 2.2. Using a Signature File A Signature File is a section of text that you place at the end of your articles or Email messages. It should contain contact details and a brief summary of what your company offers. 3. WHERE TO ADVERTISE ===================== 3.1. Where to place Classified Ads Online Services Classifieds: The major online services such as AOL, Compuserve, Delphi, Genie, Prodigy, MSN have sections for placing classified ads. Ezines (newsletters): Ezines are Email magazines which you can subscribe to - usually for free. Most Ezines offer low cost advertising and are also an excellent source of marketing tips. WWW (World wide web): You can set up your ads at web sites for free or at low cost. 3.2. Using Signatures in Discussion Groups A discussion group is a group of people with a common interest in a specific topic. If you participate in discussion groups with useful contributions or helpful articles you can add your signature files at the end of your posting. Here are examples of discussion group areas. Mailing Lists: There are thousands of mailing lists available on every conceivable topic. You become a member of a mailing list by sending a simple 'subscribe' Email message to the list. You can post a message to the list and it will be distributed automatically to all the subscribers. Newsgroups: Newsgroups (also known as Usenet) are similar to mailing lists except that you need to access the newsgroup with a newsreader online (whereas mailing list posts are sent to your Email box). Online Services Forums: Similar to newsgroups, usually better controlled and organized. 3.3. Other places for free ads Newsgroups: Some newsgroups allow ads. Examples are alt.internet.commerce, alt.make.money.fast, misc.entrepreneur. Online services Forums: There are forums where ads are acceptable: try looking for forums which have sections with titles such as 'Opportunities', 'Marketing', 'Business'. 3.4. Direct Mail Direct mail is the sending by Email of your advert or sales letter to a list of people who are looking for the product or service that you are offering. Such a list can be purchased from a mailing list broker. 4. PUT YOUR WORK ON AUTO-PILOT ============================== Here are some software tools which can automate your work and reduce time and money spent online. 4.1. Autoresponders We've already shown above the importance of autoresponders for any online business. You can use them to respond to enquiries with any information you wish such as a sales letter, price list, catalog, ordering information. 4.2. Free Agent (for Newsgroups) Free Agent is a powerful and easy-to-use newsgroup reader. It allows you to browse newsgroups both online and offline. 4.3. Navigator (for Compuserve Users) CompuServe Navigator (CSNAV) allows you to set up in advance a script to navigate the Compuserve Forums, sending and retrieving messages, downloading from or uploading to the libraries. 4.4. Waytogo (for AOL users) If you want to post ads on AOL classifieds then, instead of manually navigating the various menus and options, you can automate the task with a program called "Way To Go". 5. SET UP YOUR OWN WEB SITE =========================== Once you have developed a portfolio of (ideally) related items you will want to bring all the information about them together on your own web site. The website will provide you with a 24 hour international presence and a means for people anywhere in the world to obtain free reports about your products or services instantly, especially when complemented with autoresponders. 5.1. Design considerations * Make your site easy to navigate * Don't clutter up your pages with information * Ensure that there are no long delays in loading web pages (the chief cause of this is the use of large graphics) 5.2. Content Make a good first impression with your front page, make it interesting and let it show clearly what the rest of the site contains. You may only have ten seconds or so to keep your visitor's attention. Offer free information and useful articles. Ensure that the content of the site continually changes, consider a weekly column of hints and tips. 6. HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR WEB SITE =============================== 6.1. Register with search engines When people are scanning the Internet for a specific product or service they use 'Search Engines' to feed in a 'keyword' to specify what they are looking for. You can submit your site to these search engines specifying the key words that make up the site, so that your site can then appear in such searches. There are over 20 major search engines, some popular ones being: Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, Yahoo 6.2. Publicity Now that you have a web site you can include it in your signature and therefore publicise it * whenever you send an Email * when you contribute to discussion groups * when you contribute a posting to an Ezine You can advertise offline by including your web address on your company stationery, business cards, letterheads, envelopes etc. 7. BECOME AN EXPERT =================== Learn how to find information: Master the use of search engines. Learn from the work of others: Study other ads, other web sites, other signature files. Study online marketing methods: Visit newsgroups and forums, and subscribe to mailing lists. You will find excellent marketing tips from Ezines - just see the footnote below. ------------------------------------------------------- This article is an extract from the publication "7 Steps to Online Success" which contains full details of all the sources of information mentioned above, such as web site addresses, lists of ezines, mailing lists and newsgroups, software tools and services and also includes relevant business opportunities and many more valuable ideas. Harvey Segal is offering all our readers a FREE copy of the full publication. Just send a blank mail to the autoresponder ax@infoback.net and put 'AV93' in the subject field. ========================================================= ************************************************************************ How would you like to be the only representative from your business opportunity to be listed in this "What's Hot" Directory. Explode your opportunity by registering and setting up a web page today. Visit: The American Dream Network, Inc. http://www.munymaker.com **************************************************** This week's one liner ---------------------------------- Laugh at your problems, everyone else does. ========================================================= The Humorous Side - You know you've been in computers too long . . . When somebody asks you for a bus schedule and you catch yourself wondering if it is a 16 or 32 bit. When you dream in 256 palettes of 256 colors each. When you pick up a phone and start dialing an IP address. When you start to double click lift buttons. When you are looking for an icon to open your bedroom window. When you look for a scroll bar on the book you are reading to get to the next page. ****************************************************** >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Website of the week: The company "The Master Networker Elite Team" supports: http://www.masternetworker.com/watkins/ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Master Networker Recommended Readings: BOOKS WAVE Three - Richard Poe Money, Money, Money, Money, Money - John Milton Fogg The Future Is Knowing Network Marketing - Patrick W. Higgins Who Stole The American Dream? - Burke Hedges Working Smarter From Home: A Guide For Network Marketers - Crisp Paul J. Meyer & The Art of Giving - John Edmund Haggai The One Minute Sales Person Did Your Well Before You Get Thirsty - Harvy MacKay Live Your Dream - Les Brown Successful Network Marketing For The 21st. Century - Rod Nichols How to Make Big Money in Multi-Level Marketing - David Roller Publications Bad Blues - Venus Andrecht The Network Marketer's Guide to Success - Jeffrey Babener & David Stewart How To Succeed in Your Own MLM Business - Debbi A. Ballard How Secure if Your Financial Future?- Allen Baytes Beyond The Veil - Leonard Clements Network Marketing: The Business of the 90's - Crisp Publications Tax Advantages of HOme-Based Businesses - Carol Dilley A Better Way to a Better Life - Nancy Failla & Jerry James The Basics - Don Failla The Greatest Networker in the World - John Milton Fogg MLM Special Reports - Randy Gage You Can't Steal Second With Your Foot On First - Burke Hedges Beingthe Best You Can Be - John Kalench Mail Order MLM Techniques - Charles Possick Big Al Tells All - Tom "big Al" Schreiter How to Create A Recruiting Explosion - Tom Schreiter Power Multi-Level Marketing - Mark & Renee Reid Yarnell Winning the Greatest Game of All - Randy Ward Are You Walking Past A Fortune?- Tom "Big Al" Schreiter MAGAZINES * Cutting Edge Opportunities 59 Crimson Lane Elizabethtown, PA 17022 717-361-9007 717-361-0860 Fax 800-786-5493 code #195 --->>> FREE Trial Subscription * Emerald Coast News P.O. Box 190 Niceville, FL 32588 904-564-3004 904-863-5315 Fax http://multi-level.com/ECNews/ --->>> FREE Trial Subscription * Money N'Profits Magazine (United Communications Co.) 28 Vesey Street, #242 New York, NY 10007-2956 212-785-9080 212-785-8007 Fax * The Network Trainer P.O. Box 57723 Webster, TX 77598 713-280-9800 713-486-0549 Fax * Upline 30 East Main Street #210 Charlottesville, VA 22901 804-979-4427 804-979-1602 Fax * Profit Now (formerly MarketWave) PO Box 4245 Barboursville, WV 25504-4245 Money N Profits Entrepreneur Magazine Success Magazine ------------------------------------------------------------- Any suggestions for Master Networker article ideas? Submit to: professor@multi-level.com Remember, on the internet, it's not only who you know and what you know, but also WHERE YOU GO! See you there! Professor Lindsey If you want to unsubscribe from "The Master Networker" send e-mail to professor@multi-level.com and put unsubscribe in subject area.