Working Towards Freedom

Finding Your Product Niche

2008-06-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Or, finding out who you want to "talk" to.

Customers are the lifeblood of your business, despite what you may have heard to the contrary.

Having retail customers means you don't have to "go out of pocket" for your product points. Not having to go out of pocket means you can take some time to build up your business, without pressure. If you can't get paid because you can't afford to buy your product requirements each month, how likely are you going to be out there recruiting? How long do you think you will last? Gather customers early and often. Remember, this is where your "residual" income comes from. Since customers are so important to your success, we will cover a capture system for product customers first.

Before you can build an effective "capture system", you need to know whom you are trying to reach. To help you with determining your "who", ask yourself these questions:

What is it about Nussentials that first grabbed you?

What was your first product?

How did it make you feel?

How do you feel about it now?

How long have you used it?

What results do you have that someone else might be interested in?

What can you speak about with passion and credibility?

What worked for you?

If you build your capture system based on what captivated you, you speak with more authority, more believability, and much more persuasion. People who are seeking these same results will perk up their ears and listen to what you have to say.

Let me give you an example from my personal experience:

My Mom is diabetic and has been for 35 years. Her blood sugar fluctuates wildly and all efforts to get it stabilized have met with failure, despite changing insulin types.

Blood sugar that gets too high or too low causes serious damage to her internal organs, decreasing her "longevity".

There have been several times she went into a coma in her sleep! We would be unable to wake her and had to call 911 to have her taken to the hospital to get it back under control.

Sitting in the waiting room waiting to hear if they were able to bring her out of the coma were some of the worst memories I have. She has to draw blood and take her sugar levels about 10 times a day. Her poor fingers are like a pincushion and remain sore from all the sticks to get her blood. She has to wear socks to bed because the circulation in her feet is so poor. Danger of losing toes is a real threat she had to deal with every single day.

About 4 months ago, she started taking MORE! daily. Her next trip into the doctor surprised both her doctor and us. Her sugar levels were stabilizing. The high's previous to taking MORE! were 600+ and she was experiencing that several times a month. The highs after starting MORE! didn't top 350 and weren't happening nearly as often. She has continued to take her sugar several times a day to monitor it, but the results so far are very encouraging.

The result she is happiest with?

The feeling in her feet has returned and circulation is back. She doesn't have to wear socks to bed anymore! Her doctor told her she had never in all her years treating diabetics, ever seen that before!

Now, do you think if I addressed that niche, spoke from that experience, that I could get people having a similar problem to listen? And if I was careful and didn't offer a cure, but rather an experience and the possibility that it could work the same way for them, do you think they would take the next step with me? Of course they would if they are diabetic or know someone that is.

Here is why... have you even been to an event or party, and run into someone with the same name? Isn't there a bond immediately? Do you talk with that person? In the example about MORE and my Mom, I am calling a name. All those with the same name will perk up and listen. So, who's name are you going to call?

Another example from my personal experience to help make the point:

I am single Mom, Grandmother of two toddlers (ages 3 and 1), entrepreneur and building my Nussentials business in my spare time. In other words, I am burning the candle at both ends. I work late into the night (3:00am), but the grandkids get up pretty early (5:00am some mornings).

In order to stay awake, I drink a lot of caffeine daily. Each morning, I would also have a RedBull. Sometimes again in the afternoon. Because of all the caffeine in my system, I would wake up repeatedly during the night, robbing me of the much-needed rest when I would allow myself to lay down. Without the proper rest, I needed caffeine to get through the day. See the vicious cycle?

I started drinking one ounce of Nussentials ALERT! in the morning and another at lunch time. I have energy all day long but come bed time, that's when it got really good for me. I fell asleep faster, slept deeper and got more healing and rejuvenating rest. Even though I am only sleeping about 6 hours a night (on a good night), I feel better, more mentally clear than I have since I was in my twenties. So, I call the name of everyone who is burning the candle at both ends, who has trouble sleeping because of all the caffeine they drink during the day to stay awake.

You aren't going to be able to address all the needs of all the people, don't try. Nine out of ten people you speak to won't be interested, get over it. Figure out what name you are, what name you want to call, and then research that market. Then, you are talking to the 1 of 10 that want to hear what you have to say.

Suggestion:
Make a list of the things that Nussentials products have done for you or someone close to you. Figure out what name that is. Google words that you would search for if you were looking for that product. Keep a list of those words and we will compare it to the actual research step later.

Raven's Story -- Thank You Nussentials...

2008-02-26T19:24:00.002-07:00

As many of you know by now, Nussentials products (RESTORE!, MORE! and MULTI!) have made a real difference in lives of my family and I. Twice now, Nussentials has been a gift from God.

First, my Mom...

A 35+ year diabetic with chronic blood sugar issues. She lost the feeling in her feet more than 10 years ago. After just a few short months on MORE!, the feeling has returned to her feet and her blood sugar is stable for the first time in 35 years. I wrote about her story on my HubPages account, which you can see here: http://www.HubPages.com/hub/Nussentials-MORE

Then, Perthes Disease snuck up and attacked my 3 year old granddaughter. Perthes is a degenerative bone disease that attacks the hips. Inadequate blood flow literally "kills" the hip bone. In X-Ray's, her's looked like moth's had been eating on the ball part of her hip sockets. She was in terrible pain, unable to walk to the bathroom or up the stairs. Her cry's filled the house. Then Nussentials came out with RESTORE! and we started spiking her juice. In just a short time, she is laughing and playing again. I made a video to sorta "tell" that story. You can see this short clip above. (It's only 2 minutes, so take a little time, turn off the radio, stereo and TV and give a listen)

For those of you who are interested, you may "embed" this video anywhere you like. Your MySpace profile, comments to friends, in an email, on your personal web page, whereever. Be sure to provide a link below the video that tells people where to order the product. This video is touching and creates an emotional response. If the person viewing the video has, or knows someone who has Arthritis, Joint Pain or Perthes, they need to be able to order it while they are thinking about it.

Please let me know if I can do anything to help with these tasks. I am considering making a video that details how to "embed" such a video on a web page, comment, or MySpace profile... if there is any interest...

More Sales, Less Work -- spotlighting AWeber

2007-11-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Their site features this headline, which I agreed with, so I am including it here…

Learn About the Most Reliable, Easiest, Cost Effective Tool to Capture Visitor Sign Ups, Send Unlimited Follow Ups and Newsletters — Increasing Your Profits.

Join Thousands of Others Who’ve Discovered AWeber’s Unlimited Autoresponders, Follow Ups, Newsletters, and Toll-Free Expert Customer Service with 9+ Years of Experience.

* Experts state it often takes 7 or more messages before prospective customers make a purchase.
* Unlimited campaigns, lists, follow up messages, and newsletters.
* Reliable, >99.34% email deliverability, fast.
* 51+ Templates for newsletter and follow up design.
* Easily create and add opt-in web forms to your website.
* Free training guides and videos.
* Expert unlimited free customer support.

If you are marketing a product or service on the Internet, then you absolutely need an auto responder, that’s a given. The only real choice is which service to use. There are a lot out there, many of which state their deliverability rate is above 96%, but a little research shows those numbers tend to be inflated. (AWeber boasts a deliverability rate of 99.34% and they have the stat’s to back it up)

When looking for my first auto responder, I spent weeks demo’ing the various products, quizzing the tech support guys (not the sales guy since I was afraid they would just tell me what I wanted to hear), and asking other marketers what their experience was. I pretty much bugged ANYONE already using an Autoresponder to get to the nitty gritty. After all, they were going to be getting my $19.95 to $29.95 every month, right? I had a right to know it was money well spent. I had special needs since I was planning to run an ad co-opt for about 10 of my friends, but wanted to share the leads equally, not pool them together and try to figure out later who got what.

Well, 3 or 4 weeks into all the research, I finally bit the bullet and made a choice. AWeber. My only regret? That I wasted 4 weeks of time when I could have been marketing with AWeber. See, one of the first recommendations I heard was for AWeber. I should have trusted that source and just signed up that day.

AWeber is ready to help you take your business to the next level. Still not convinced? Take them for a free test drive. (I did). Explore their video’s and training tools (I did), talk online with their support staff (I did).

Click the Free AWeber Test Drive link and get started exploring your next great business growth tool.

More Sales, Less Work!

2007-11-06T15:44:00.001-07:00

If you have been involved in any type of Internet Marketing (or want to "break into" IM), then you need to know about auto responders.

It takes a customer as many as 7 times reviewing your information to make a buying decision. You are getting (meaning paying for) Google clicks to get them to your site to see it ONE TIME. Do you want to continue paying that customer to come back? Or do you want to work smarter?

With an auto responder, you can capture the customer contact info, and then send them a series of "sales emails" that continue the message your website started. An autoresponder is your 24/7 salesman. It doesn't need a break, a raise and doesn't gossip at the water cooler. If you add 100 messages to your system, then your customer will get 100 messages from you. You enter them one time, the autoresponder takes care of knowing which message the prospect got last and which one is next. It will continue sending them a message every scheduled time (you setup the schedule, want to send them daily? weekly? every 3 days? -- doesn't matter) -- placing your message in front of them until they are ready to make the buying decision.

You can't get a better employee working for you. Click the link below to take a FREE test drive of the system. There are great video's that teach you everything you need to know. Need more help? Contact me, I have been using AWeber for months now.

Take AWeber For A Free Test Drive

Nussentials - An Opportunity To Fire Your Boss

2007-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Where else can you find a company that pays you top dollar to market their product and then gives 5% of company sales revenues to Children Incorporated? I have spoken with many other multilevelers, and they agree with me, the compensation plan is far and away the most generous in the industry, even if it takes a while to understand (there are so many ways you get paid, and so many additional “bonuses” that it took me 3 hours reading the plan before I got a glimmer!).

The company is offering a host of Health and Wellness products all built around stabilized rice bran. According to a report published by the Alternative Medicine magazine, stabilized rice bran seems to be one of the most potent and accessible sources of a complex mix of phytonutrients and antioxidants. The report states:

Nutraceuticals derived from stabilized rice bran are showing enormous nutritional value. So far, the most promising uses are against diabetes, high cholesterol, liver abnormalities and cardiovascular disease.¹

I personally started on the LESS! Weight Loss product and after only 3 weeks had lost an amazing 16 pounds! Now, you are talking to the queen of fast-food-unhealthy-eating-habits. I frequently forget to eat, then in a panic, do the worst thing I could, stuff myself. I had tried everything and continued to gain weight (surprised?). I even had cut out the fried foods I love so much. 3 weeks, 16 pounds and the ONLY thing I did differently this time was the LESS! product once a day. I made myself a “shake” from a glass of Rasberry Ice (Wyler’s Drink mix, only 5 calories), 1 container of Strawberry yogurt, 1 scoop of LESS! and blended with ice.

From the company website: “The mission of Nussentials is to positively impact the life experience of individuals by introducing new and revolutionary products that enhance personal health and wellness, add distinguishable quality of life, and provide financial opportunity through a network of Independent Marketing Representatives.

Nussentials provides health and wellness products based on all-natural stabilized rice bran. The products nourish your body by providing an incredibly potent mix of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

The company utilizes a cooperative marketing and distribution model. Part of the direct selling industry, Nussentials distributes it’s products through a network of Independent Marketing Representatives.”

Personally, I am excited to be involved with this particular company and have received enormous help and support from my mentor’s. In fact, I got my first check only two weeks after becoming a distributor thanks to their hard work in getting me up to speed! If you are thinking of investing in yourself and your financial future with a multilevel marketing company, in my opinion, you can’t do better than Nussentials. If you would like to know more about this opportunity and speak with some very dedicated people intent on helping you succeed, then drop by the Team Infinity landing page for their Nussentials business and complete the Request Contact form.

1. Kamen, B. 2001. Stabilized Rice Bran. Alternative Medicine, 2001 Jul:53-66.

Missing a post...has this happened to you?

2007-05-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Has this happened to anyone else? You post your very first Blog entry. You spent some time on it, you wanted to get it just right. It's public after all. After the first one, the rest were easier. You get excited and decide to "share" your new hobby with someone in your family. You take them to the Blogger site and proudly login and call up the blog you spent so much time on, only to find the first post GONE!

I checked with Blogger's help center, searched for similar issues and generally spent about 30 minutes reading their help trying to find some type of explanation. Did I violate some unwritten rule? Did I piss someone off? I am really lost here, and would appreciate some insight... from ANYONE. Like I said, I spent some time on it, and would like to include it in my blog. Where did it go? Why? How can I avoid this in the future?

Appreciate any comments...

Cenay'

Building a site around the niche you selected, is work.

2007-05-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been at the drawing board for a few days now. I have the basic template built and a few pages complete and published to the domain. I have been searching madly on the Internet for research material for my articles and trying to figure out if forum's or blogs are more valuable to the average person who surf's by. I still have mixed feelings about it, but decided I would just do both. One step at a time though.

This is something the guru's don't tell you. Not right out front anyway... building a site is work. Well, let me rephrase that... building a site that has valuable content is work. I could just throw up some trash, swipe from articles from the local "Private Label Rights" article directory and Ad code for the Google Adsense program and call it a day. Wouldn't take long at all in fact. However... placing myself in the shoes of those that might surf-by... bullshit. I wouldn't stay more than a minute, and I probably wouldn't click an ad on the way out either. Now, if that site offered me something, something that justifies my time and energy spent on the site, well then, I am hooked. I don't mean freebies and "thanks for stopping by parting gifts", I mean real good content. Answer my question, show me something, tell me something I didn't know. I would probably even bookmark them, and come back. I have a special folder setup for those site I want to visit periodically. I bet I am not the only one.

So, just had to vent a little. All the guru's out there say pretty much the same thing, build a site optimized for Google Adsense, throw up the ad's and send some traffic...hey, it's easy! You too can have a site making you a gazillion dollars a day, just do what we did. Color me doubtful, but I am not sure how.

So, I decided to walk to the beat of a little different drummer. Yes, I will have Google Ads (discretely) on the site and as appropriate to the content as I can make it, but that won't be the MAIN REASON for my site. Okay, okay, I probably won't make as much money, especially not as quickly, but I am betting on having repeat clientel. In fact, I am certain I will. Build a little trust. Give them value for their time. Yep, that's what I have decided to do. So, while I won't tell you the "niche-site" I started, I will continue to share with you the steps I am taking during this experiment. So to recap this week:

1. Decided on the overall format of the site
2. Spent some time building templates to use that contain most of the reusable code
3. Spent some time optimizing for the search engines and getting my content placed above my navigation within the HTML, but navigation at the top of the page visually.
4. Added a Newsletter sign up option. Not pushing this one too heavy right now, as my content is taking a little longer to get right than I had hoped.

I still have a lot more work on the site, but wanted to get the three or so articles up. Anyone know a good forum manager program or website? Considering writing my own.

Just my two cents.
Cenay'

Finding a Niche Market and building the all important Keyword list

2007-05-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Step 1

There is always a step one, although it was a little tough to decide which was first. In fact, I started "step-one" about 7 times! I decided I wanted a content-rich web-site that I could promote, it had to have AdSense ad's being added, and it was really important that the content be valuable. You see, if I just throw out a site real quick that doesn't add value to the online world, then it doesn't matter if it will make me money for a few months, eventually, Google will take a good look at the site and shut me down.

So step one (initially) was to find an area I wanted to spend time with, a niche. I researched keywords using a really cool tool I purchased from Brad Callen called Keyword Elite. If you don't have it yet, I highly recommend to you spend the small investment on it, because it will save you a TON of time. I could have done all this research manually, in fact, I started it that way. After about the third or fourth day of trying to isolate the keywords that would bring the high-paying ads so I could decide on the topic, I realized there had to be a better way! The steps to do it manually were tedious, incomplete and very time consuming. At the rate I was going, it would take me 7 days of JUST research to find the keyword list I needed. Yikes!

So, I spent some time researching alternative methods of doing the same thing. There are a few "products" out there that did one or two of the things I wanted done, but I wasn't finding anything that did it all, was fast and easy to use and was as thorough as I wanted to be. (Remember, I am the OCD type). Well, patience paid off. I finally found the right tool for the job. Like I mentioned before, it's called Keyword Elite. I installed it and then headed over to the Keyword Elite training area and spent some time watching the professionally compiled video's that walked me through how to use this cool tool. Frankly, I was amazed. It did everything I was trying to do, automatically! It also added in sample ad's that were ranked 1-10, what the Cost Per Click were for each, who had the number one spot, how many Google campaign's were running and so much more! Needless to say, it probably saved me more than the initial 7 days I had calculated it would take me to find a profitable niche market. You see, by showing me the number of Google campaigns already running and the highest CPC they were paying, it allowed me to see that the niche I had choosen initially, simply wouldn't work. It is sutrated already and unless my "marketing budget" could be increased to handle the higher requirements, it really wasn't going to benefit me to go forward in the niche. Whew! So, I examined another niche, and another, and another until I came across one that met all my internal requirements and didn't have a lot of competition.

Frankly, I was amazed at how easy Keyword Elite made this process. Like I said, I had accepted to be on this part for days and days. Do yourself a favor, check out Keyword Elite by Brad Callen and see if you aren't as impressed as I was.

Okay, so that wrap's our "Step 1" process. Finding the Niche Market you want to explore and building the keyword list. A few notes on the keyword requirements... you want keywords that are "high-paying" in terms of AdSense, and a LOT of keywords that aren't as high-paying since these are the one's YOU will bid on, but are related.

More later!

Cenay'

Autoresponders: Local or Server?

2007-04-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

I am just gonna throw this question out there, and hope some Internet Marketing guru takes pity on me and sends along a comment or two. Perhaps Perry Marshall will stop by and provide an answer to this long debated question. Maybe Brad or Matt Callen will wander through and offer up pearls of wisdom. I personally don't know. Part of me likes the control offered by "local" options such as Xtreeme MailXpert and then there is the whole "let the experts do what they do best" thingy in using a web-based solution.

I guess both arguments have merit, but seriously, which is the BEST option? They will probably tell me it depends on what you hope to accomplish. So let's see. What DO I want to accomplish. Well, I want a "list" because everyone says I need one, right? Okay, wrong answer. What about this... I want to be able to send out newsletters to a group of people interested in the material I have to offer. And I don't want to have to address each member individually. And I want something that will handle the bothersome issue of the "double-opt-in" requirement that the spammers of the world (lowest form of life on the planet) have made necessary. And from time to time, I might want to send out a special broadcast of new material that can't wait for the regularily scheduled weekly/monthly/daily newsletter. What else? Oh yeah. I want the emails I send to get through! Past all the spam blocking technology that every ISP and their dog has had to implement because these direct marketers have taken the "junk mail" concept to a whole new level. (Did I mention that spammers are the lowest form of life on the planet?) I think that about covers it. So, guru passing through... based on what I want, which is best? Local or Server based autoresponders?

Your input is GREATLY appreciated!