Email: Opt-in List Building & MLM

Sun 11th Feb '01 Founding Member of iCop http://www.i-Cop.org International Council of Online Professionals In this issue: 1. INTRODUCTION ==>A look at MyLISTmaker, Email tapping, keyboard skills. 2. PLACES TO VISIT ==>Web sites for you to visit. 3. TOOLS AT NOWSELL.COM ==>Useful tools to make your life easier. 4. FEATURE ARTICLE ==>"Offline Networking: Getting Clients in Person" by "Wild Bill" Scroll to the end for subscription details. o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o "BUILD A TRAFFIC SUCKING SALES MACHINE!" You provide your own OR any affiliate products to sell. We provide the hi-tech tools for fast, powerful results. You have NOT seen A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G like this before! Click Here Now! * "WANT TO GET IT FREE?" * Click here to WIN TWO YEARS service (value $800) o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X X INTRODUCTION X X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X Hello, You've no doubt heard a fair bit about the MyLISTmaker program over the last week. I haven't joined, although I was tempted. It does sound awfully enticing. Refer just four people in three days to build a list of up to 80,000 email addresses AND earn $10 per referral, up to $800,000. Makes me salivate just reading it! The system is based on a 3 x 10 forced matrix. You have 3 people on your first tier who each have 3 on theirs, down through 10 tiers. Everyone has to recruit a minimum of 4 members, the additional recruits, or "spillover" as it's known, will be placed (forced) into existing downlines. I don't want to knock anyone else, but as you're likely to be bombarded with emails about this, I think I ought to share my thoughts. I know some more well-known readers have already joined, so I'm certain to get a lot of flack for what I'm about to say. Down go the subscriber numbers again! :-) For the record, I have nothing against MLM per se. However, I do have a problem with MLM systems that don't involve sales of a product. Here, commissions are earned on the basis of recruiting new members. Put simply, you get a cut of the joining fee. The problem is that no new revenue is generated. With a product, the company makes a NEW profit on each sale, part of which it pays to the member. Without that all-important product, total payments to members cannot exceed the total amount collected in new member fees. MyLISTmaker says they offer a "pay out commission of $10.00 (Australian) per referral 10 levels deep, which is equal to $800,000.00 in your pocket." And according to the promotional email "you will be paid $10 for everyone entering your matrix for the rest of your days." The crunch is, if put $150 (my joining fee) into that pot and then take $800,000 out (my commission on a full matrix), there has to be a shortfall. A lot of people will have to get nothing like their $150 investment back to cover the $800,000 paid to me. The sum of money paid out cannot be more than the sum of money paid in. For every person that makes more than $150, there has to be at least one person that doesn't break even, more likely many. And that's without even figuring in what the service gets. MyLISTmaker pays as follows: * Refer 4 people within 3 days of joining and get $10 for everyone entering your matrix. * Refer 4 people within 7 days of joining and get $5 for everyone entering your matrix. * Refer 4 people after 7 days of joining and get $1 for everyone entering your matrix. MyLISTmaker pays you *nothing* until you have referred FOUR paid-up members. Not a cent. At AUS$150 (US$89) a pop, I suspect many won't find that so easy to achieve once the program's been out a few weeks. In addition, the agreement states that even after referring your four, you only get paid when your account exceeds $200.00. There is no mention of what happens to any income below this amount should you decide to leave the program. Plus, there is absolutely NO guarantee of any nature on the site, despite the display of a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" logo. The terms simply say you accept there is "no guarantee on the amount of income you will receive with MyLISTmaker." OK .. you might not make a profit, or even get your money back, but you've got a great opt-in list. Really? Paying people to receive emails is one thing. Their being read is another. In the promotional material I am told that the existing opt-in lists are useless because "everyone's posting and nobody is reading." Why is that? Because people join these lists primarily to promote THEIR offers, not read about yours. Why would anyone pay to join MyLISTmaker? To promote THEIR offers, not read about yours. Sound pretty similar, eh? Actually, some people do join regular opt-in lists to learn about offers. Ask Postmaster Direct or any of the other big opt-in list vendors. But no one is going to pay $150 to join a list for that purpose. No one. Every member has joined SOLELY to promote. The premise that paying people to be on a list ensures you get your message across is flawed. In fact, the cash may have a negative effect. MyLISTmaker creates a strong incentive for even the most disinterested to continue to receive your emails. "I'm joining to promote my products and get paid. I don't care about other offers. What is to stop me signing up using one of the ISP or free email accounts I have lying dormant, and simply trashing the mail periodically?" Nothing as far as I can see. The only way to ensure your email is even opened, is by sending information people are genuinely interested in reading. To be successful, you need list members that *want* to receive your messages. Not ones that simply receive them in order to get paid. Or what about this ... what if your email isn't trashed until the recipient has fired off a reply with their own offer and added your address to *their* list? Many will feel they have the perfect right to do so, after all, YOU sent your offer first! Can your email system cope with 80,000 replies? I bet it will choke before 10,000, never mind 80,000! And remember, although you can't join up with an autoresponder, there's nothing to stop the people you have mailed from adding your address to one. The first to join will undoubtedly profit handsomely. And those already possessing a decent email publication targeted to online marketers will likely benefit, depending on the number of truly "active" addresses in their list, and how well they can cope with all the "We're on the same safe list" replies. Well, that's my opinion. If you strongly disagree, and have a sensible argument, write in and I'll publish it here. BB The Privacy Foundation has learned of an exploit that allows the sender of an email message to see what has been written when the message is forwarded to other recipients. Some of the possible ways that this exploit might be used include: * Monitoring the path of a confidential email message and written comments attached. * In a business negotiation conducted via email, one side can learn inside information from the other side as the proposal is discussed through the recipient company's internal email system. * A bugged email message could capture thousands of email addresses as the forwarded message is sent around the world. * Commercial entities, particularly those based offshore, may seek to offer email wiretapping as a service. The exploit requires the person reading a wiretapped email message to be using an HTML-enabled email reader that also has JavaScript turned on by default. Affected email readers include Outlook, Outlook Express, and Netscape 6 Mail. Eudora and the AOL 6.0 email readers are not affected because JavaScript is turned off by default. Web-based email systems automatically remove JavaScript programs from incoming email messages and therefore are not vulnerable. This exploit does not make any use of any programming errors in an email reader or JavaScript. Rather it uses standard documented features of JavaScript. A wiretapped email message is difficult to detect. An individual can avoid the email wiretap by turning off JavaScript in the email reader. However, if the individual forwards the message to someone who has JavaScript turned on, that recipient's forwarded messages can still be wiretapped. In addition, copying the original message into a new email, rather than forwarding it, may not defeat the exploit. Further details at: http://www.privacyfoundation.org/advisories/advEmailWiretap.html BB Here's a nice quickie for you: "Keyboard MAGIC!" An inexpensive eBooklet from the Newbie Club that shows you how to get the most out of your keyboard. Keyboard? Yup ... have you any idea of what you can do with your keyboard, in a fraction of the time it takes you to clunk around the screen with your mouse? It will blow your mind! It amazes, OK ... amuses me that 99% of computer users waste hours endlessly dragging that pointer across acres of screen! I couldn't live without my keyboard shortcuts and tricks. Get "Keyboard MAGIC!" and you'll understand why. Click Here to View Tip: Don't try and learn everything at once. Pick one or two keystrokes you will use daily, and no more until these have become habit. Then learn a couple more, and so on. Before you know it you'll be a Keyboard Wizard! BB Tell me what YOU think! Send your feedback, comments, what you like, what you hate, etc., to me at: mailto:azam-nowsell.com TTFN Azam PS - How did over a million people get free money grants last year for their businesses? Click here right now and find out how you, too, can be the recipient of free money. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Your Privacy: I greatly value your trust in me. I will never, ever, under any circumstances give or sell your email address to anyone. Period! ----------------------------------------------------------------- o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o "TRUST YOUR SALES TO A COMPANY WITH OVER 11 YEARS EXPERIENCE" Real-time secure processing of credit cards and checks from your website with the Internet's Largest Merchant Account Provider. Plus fast card processing for mail, phone order, etc. * Quick Set-up * 99% Acceptance * International * Click Here to Learn More o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X X PLACES TO VISIT X X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X

http://www.dreamsubmit.net/stack/ Free submit service that submits to over 50 major search engines, plus tips suitable for the beginner. Completely irrelevant, but I think this site looks great!

http://www.thehungersite.com/ Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger. 75% are children. Click on a button to donate food to one of the hungry millions in the world. No cost to you. Go and do it NOW!

http://awards.tenagra.com/ The Tenagra Awards for Internet Marketing Excellence. "Awarded each year since 1994 to recognize the most innovative and significant successes in the Internet marketing industry."

http://www.ceoexpress.com/ Business portal for executives created by a CEO. Hundreds of business-related links here. Join (free) and personalize, including adding your own links. One to bookmark.

o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o "HOW DO YOU GET THE MOST FROM SEARCH ENGINES?" Use the award-winning software that's favorite amongst SEO Pros. * Optimizes pages to rank in the top 10 * Submits to Engines * * Reports Positions * Tracks your Traffic * And much more! * Click to Get the FREE download - it has a ZD Net 5 Star rating! o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X X TOOLS AT NOWSELL.COM X X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X Promotion Tools * Keyword Research Tool * Meta Tag Maker * Free Automatic Search Engine Submit * Rapid Manual Search Engine Submit Tool * Position Analyzer to check site rank in the SEs * Link Generators HTML Tools * Link Checker * Multiple Pop-up window code generator * Multiple MouseOver image generator * Frames code generator * Simple CSS template * 216 Web color palette and codes * HTML Special character codes * Useful cut & paste Javascript, and more o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o "ULTRA *POWERFUL* MARKETING CONCEPTS TO EXPLODE YOUR BUSINESS!" The man who taught Cory Rudl is Endorsed by the world's most respected consultants; Jay Abraham, Ted Nicholas, Gary Halbert, Dan Kennedy, Brad Richdale, Mark Nolan, Jerry Buchanon ... Click Now to learn the Secrets of Marketing Master Mike Enlow! o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X X FEATURE ARTICLE X X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X ------------------------------------------------ "Offline Networking: Getting Clients in Person" ----------------------------------------------- by "Wild Bill" As a Web Designer and Programmer, I have realized more than ever the importance of Referrals. As the Internet is continually flooded with Web/Graphic Designers and Programmers, I wondered how I would ever get a big enough piece of the pie to even survive through the next month. When I first put out my virtual "Open for Business" sign, jobs were far and few between. I initiated a lot of advertising and marketing techniques that I had learned over the years. Still business was almost stagnant. Today, 4 years later, business is doing well, but it's been a hard climb to get to this still low plateau of steady clients. I don't need a graph to tell me that our business is growing and there's no pie chart pointing out the fact that most of our business comes from referrals of past clients. God Bless "Word of Mouth"! Too Shy to Fly? I fell in love with the Internet for many reasons. My lifelong dream is to be able to travel the world and still run my business via a laptop. The more practical reason was that it gave me a chance to work with my biggest hobbies, marketing and programming. I was also able to escape my lifelong suffering as a severe social introvert, thanks to Email and the Internet. My business and marketing skills have always suffered because of this strong desire to avoid direct human interaction. Through self help and seminars I have worked on beating this social backwardness by actually speaking publicly a few times and going out of my way (forcing myself) to talk to people. All of these have helped me overcome my terminal shyness in social and business settings. I maintain a list of things that I need to work on to improve the business. Right at the top of the list is "Improve Offline Networking Contacts". One of the other contributing problems with the offline world is the fact that I always seem to be online. Now working from my (giant) list of "to do's", I'll tell you what I am presently doing to improve my offline networking contacts. First, I decided to join the local Chamber(s) of Commerce, a couple of Business and Social Organizations. I have been meaning to do this forever, but it's a big list. I talked to other small business people who belong to some of the local business organizations. Many stated that it didn't do much more for them than offer a picture of stability to their clients, because of belonging to such organizations. I asked some these same people, "how often do you attend meetings and participate in functions"? Most, of course answered, "hardly ever". Well, Duh! The point is, it's not enough to just join. You must get involved, and attend meetings and functions regularly. For many of us that can sometimes seem like an impossibility. Many of us work outside the business and have other responsibilities. Time is your enemy; don't waste it. You're joining these business organizations to improve your contacts. Do yourself a big "waste-of-time" saving favor and check out the member's list (most business organizations make it available). If there is a flood of members in your field, you may find it more advantageous to skip that organization and check on one that has less competition. You also want to make sure that there are legitimate contacts to be made in the organization. Other considerations may be social and ethnic compatibility. Yes, for as far as we have come in the fight against social and racial injustices, it still exists. The "smart" business person will apply their time where it is best served. Later, if time permits, get out there and start breaking some of those barriers down. Remember you don't have time to join (and work) them all, so join the one(s) that can serve you best. Social Organizations should also be approached in the same way. Ask the social organization representative if the have a members list available. If not, ask them primarily what kind of background the majority of the members have. Ask them if they know approximately how many members they have and decide how your business can create a niche or target group inside the organization. Pick you your social organizations like you market your clients. Stay very focused on how the members of these organizations can help you. A couple of other tips... Another one that worked well for me in the past and requires little down time is a trade off. Contact "Big Name" or well-known local charities. Offer your product or service as a prize or an award in upcoming charity promotions, contests or raffles. Offer pro bono work for non-profit organizations. Don't think for a minute that because they are a non-profit organization, they don't have big pull with local commerce leaders. Time is a big factor to those of us who have 80 hour work weeks. Study your most time consuming tasks and find ways to make them faster. Learn to create shortcuts for your daily chores. Automate what you can. Build simple systems for making you marketing a task less tackled. Set up spread sheets of contacts. Schedule Everything! If it is not being done today, write it down. Hell, my best friends probably wouldn't hear from me if I didn't have them penciled in for phone calls. It has nothing to do with ego, self- importance or lack of caring. It's simply a matter of time and what's on your mind when you do get that brief hiatus in time. Best to you in your Marketing Ad-Ventures! "Wild Bill" ======================================== ARE YOU A SLACKED-JAW DIMWIT? Or Is That How You Feel When Writing Ads! Would You Like To Write Better Ads? "CRAZY ADS" MAKES WRITING FUN AGAIN! Join CRAZY ADS NOW! The Ad Copy Is Insane! Write Ads For Hilarious Fictional Products! Have Fun & Win Prizes! To Subscribe go to: http://www.MakingProfit.com?sje ======================================== o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o "FAST POWER WEB SITE BUILDING" Everything you need to know to create, write, design, automate, backup, promote and publish your own Website ... in as little as 2 days using quality Free programs and graphics. Seeing is believing! Click Now for your FREE trial! Click o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o _________________________________________________________________ To subscribe to Biz Bits, send a blank email to: mailto:bizbits@nowsell.com Should you ever wish to unsubscribe (hopefully not!): mailto:BizBits-unsubscribe@topica.com To subscribe on the Web please go to: http://www.nowsell.com Archives: Biz Bits Internet Marketing eZine Posts to Biz Bits FFA [mailto:FFA@topica.com]: This is where you can send all of your ads, sales letters, promotions, offers, etc. You may post once every day. Subscribe with a blank email to mailto:FFA-subscribe@topica.com ================================================================= Information on sponsoring Biz Bits: mailto:bbads-nowsell.com ================================================================= Biz Bits is Copyright © 1999-2001 Azam Corry. All Rights Reserved. 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