The manifesto is very close to completion and is a bootstrapper’s formidable guide to online marketing and earning a living online.

I have set myself a target for Wednesday 27th May for the release of my eBook. Guess how much I’m selling it for? $297? $197? $97? 47?! $7! How about nothing. $0. I’m not charging a cent for this book at all. I believe the basic principles outlined in this book should be given away so that everyone can learn them and remove any excuse not to try.

I get extremely frustrated when great online markets with valuable information decide to run a course but then charge $497 or $297 a month. This immediately eliminates those who genuinely want to try but can’t because they simply don’t have the money to invest. It doesn’t make sense really does it? You provide a beginners course but then charge corporate rates. By no means am I knocking their product as I think many of these courses are worth many times more than what they actually charge. However it simply does not give everyone a chance to learn not only the basic principles but great marketing techniques as well.

A few things the eBook will contain:

• How to determine what product to sell
• Using your blog to full advantage
• 1 single step to increase affiliates conversions by over 200%
• Drop shipping guide
• The mega profitable eBay loophole that 99% of sellers don’t know
• Loads more.

Once again, all you need to do to get your hands on a copy when it comes out is to sign up to my mailing list. You can do this on the right hand column of this blog (and get your Free copy of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich) or using the form below. Hope your excited like I am!

Every online marketer knows that building a list is the one of the most effective ways to build a potentially profitable following. The same marketer also knows that those who have already bought from them are most likely to buy from them again. We see this all the time so would you like fries with that?

So how do you combine these two well known theories and turn them into one powerful marketing and sales technique? One and a half words – eBay.

There is a strange divide between people who swear by the monster marketplace and others who shun it like an Italian motorcar. I’m a bit of both, I love Ferrari’s but I drive an Alfa. What I’m trying to get at is that you may not be experiencing the full potential of the available resource but that doesn’t mean that it does not exist.

When I first started selling on eBay I did the normal thing. I sold something, sent out a great product, got good feedback and then moved on to the next customer. I would comfortably say that the majority of the sellers do this because that’s the way you do things right? Not quite.

Lets dissect things a little more. eBay is a massive marketplace full of millions of buyers ready and willing to buy stuff. Ready and willing to buy stuff. Those are some really powerful words right there. If you put a product up for sale on eBay you are exposing it to a market that is there not just surfing for fun, but are genuine buyers. That’s the first thing to take note of but it’s nothing that we don’t know already and many hundreds of ambitious entrepreneurs have used this fact to make thousands and thousands of sales.

Secondly when people buy a product from you on eBay you are required to communicate via email to finalize the sale. Now I’m guessing that little light bulb is flashing inside your head thinking you know where I’m heading with this. Your also thinking how could you possibly have not thought of this? Well looking at eBay’s terms and conditions there is good reason why you haven’t already thought of it or dismissed it entirely:

• Using member contact information obtained from eBay or using any eBay system to offer to sell any listed item outside of eBay
• Canceling a listing to sell to a buyer who became aware of the item through eBay.
• Ending a listing early to sell the item at a higher price to the winning bidder
• Offering to sell an item to a bidder in a Reserve Not Met listing without going through Second Chance Offer
• Offering to sell duplicate or additional merchandise to under-bidders without going through Second Chance Offer
• Sending unsolicited (without prior permission) commercial email offers to bidders for the same or similar products that they have bid on in the past

We need to read between the lines here a bit. If you run through the text in more detail you will notice that eBay makes a specific point of mentioning that sellers are not to use details obtained within eBay to sell any listed items outside of eBay.

So you can’t go and use the details you gather from eBay to sell the listed product outside of eBay but this is also the loophole: it doesnt actually say you can’t use this information to sell non-listed or alternative products outside of eBay.

As an eBay seller, once an item is sold, what you now have are the details of people who have already bought from you in a buyers environment. That’s the marketers dream right there and the potential is enormous.

Some brief action points to consider after a sale:

1. Send your buyers a digital thank you note (as well as a physical one when you send out your product)
2. Offer them a great bonus gift if they sign-up to your mailing list for great offers.
3. Once they sign up send through the bonus
4. Over the next 7 or so days build a healthy relationship giving away excellent products and information.
5. Sell to them again.
6. Then again.

Go the normal way and you’ll come out ok. Think outside the square and do that little extra and you’ll get your Ferrari.

Apple does this very well. Salesforce does this even better.. The Lock In – Good or Bad?

What is “The Lock In”? Not sure if it has been used before but I’d like to claim that I coined the term. I’m sure someone will jump at me but until then, I coined it.. there. The Lock-in is what I call it when you buy a product or service and you are then locked-in to that agreement even though their is no obligation to do so.

I’ll throw out a few examples. Have you ever used Salesforce as a CRM system? Have you ever decided to export your database to an excel file or similar? There is no function to do so and therefore you are “locked-in”. Your contract has finished and you want to try another CRM system but you can’t export your data easily so your stuck. The lock-in. You probably end up choosing to continue with their overpriced service simply because the cost and effort or switching is really not worth it. The lock-in. There is a way in fact to extract information from Salesforce but its through a function so far fetched from anything mentioning “export data”. And oh yes, there is a mighty big “import” function their for you, don’t worry. But export? Ha! Dream on! It’s hide and seek Salesforce style.

Apple does this well too. If you buy an Apple computer, iPod, iPhone or whatever and you need accessories then you better buy Apple products. The lock-in. Software? Gotta be Apple. They are no doubt getting a little bit better but its there and it’s obvious but tolerable. It’s tolerable because Apple has loyal and dedicated users who take pride in using Apple products.

I recently was confronted with the lock-in when it came to my car. I drive an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA. Looks great, goes great but built by a bunch of lock-in specialists. I needed a light fixed on the car and I thought it should be no big deal. Well this car has ‘lock-in’ written all over it. In order to change the headlight you need to remove to whole front bumper of the car, charged at $160 per hour by Alfa specialists. Then they need a special Xenon light bulb which can only be provided by Alfa (think of the charger of your phone, only one particular adapter will work) and this costs $475 for the bulb alone. That’s not a typo, thats Four Hundred and Seventy Five dollars for a light bulb! Oh and by the way the ballast/transformer powering the light is damaged and I’ll need genuine Alfa ballast for this too. That will cost $1490. Once again, not a typo. So 4 hours of labor removing the bumper and installing the parts, plus the Ballast and Bulb will set you back a total of $2605. $2650 to change 1 single light on my car! Thats one mighty lock-in.

I understand why it’s done and any good entrepreneur or businessmen will look at working with some level of ‘lock-in’. In cases such as Apple, they can get away with it as their products have a ‘cool’ factor plus they have a great brand associated with it. Salesforces is purely frustrating until you figure out how to do it. Alfa is ridiculous as you are only buying parts that provide a functional aspect to the car. I understand if I needed a new set of wheels, thats different but the lock-in though all the mechanical aspects is just plain ludicrous.

My final  thoughts on the lock-in? I’d buy Apple for sure. I’d use Salesforce again and although it can be inconvenient their lock isnt so hefty. I will never buy an Alfa Romeo again. Ever.

Take note: when you use your ‘lock-in’ use with immense care because a lock-in can be used positively in a manner to promote your business and improve relations with your customer. In the same light it can also cost you a customer for life.

It’s happened to everyone at some point. You hear about a great new movie coming out, lets call it for arguments sake, Sex and The City. Actually no, we can’t use that, that was beyond terrible. Let me think of another example. Ok so you hear about this new movie called Australia and plenty of hype was behind its release into cinemas. It comes out and surprise surprise, the critics blast it. Rubbish, terrible, boring, awful. In reality, it was probably just an average movie. If you picked it up off the shelf at the DVD store you’d watch it and say, yeh not bad. Not great but not bad, you know.. average.

So why did the movie critics absolutely blast it? Think about it, the movie wasn’t terrible. Wasn’t even bad, it was simply average. You would be right in saying that the hype behind it caused a massive anti-climax when the movie finally came out and because it didn’t live up to the hype and the expectation, people deemed it as a flop. However that’s another story completely.

There is another element here that is taking effect. That is that people no longer tolerate “average”. We live in a world of web 2.0 where everything is intertwined and whatever information we need is literally on our finger tips. We expect everything for free or maybe in return for our (other) email address. Even the Telcos are treating us like people! Can you believe it.. people!!!! That’s just insane!

Only 10-15 yrs ago people expected average. Average customer service. Average airlines. Average electronics. Average cars. Bank West. Virgin. Apple. Tesla. Just think about this paragraph a little bit before going onto the next one.

The key point is that people no longer tolerate average stuff. TV advertising is dying because its pretty average. Mobile media is growing because it’s not average, although in a few years it may be.  Today, if you release a product that is average then it’s not actually average, its boring and awful.

The aim here is to be extraordinary in whatever you deliver and also how you deliver it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the product itself but can be through your execution, your marketing and your communication. I know it can be a bit scary going out on a limb and not following the standard procedure but if you don’t someone else will. That person may not succeed but if they do, not only will the rewards be highly prized but you’ll probably find yourself doing what they do but with less reward.

I am in the process of writing my first ebook. The ebook came out of my frustration with the whole Need Money To Make Money thing. It is yet to have a name so lets call it.. Book 1. How original.

As some of you may know, in one of my earlier business ventures I spent over 50k developing a product which never took off. 2 years of hard work and frustration led to nothing and I was left demoralised. However a little later I spent $45 and $70 respectively on 2 other projects which have since proved extremely profitable. So why was this?

The problem was I was basing my work on theories developed by people who wanted you to spend a whole heap of money. The theory was that you needed money to create a product in order to make you money. Society makes you believe that this is true and this is the way you have to do things.

Worst of all, individuals now use this as an excuse not to try and get out and do something on their own. Eventually it became the excuse for everyone any anyone who wasn’t where they wanted to be financially. Now this theory has become a viral institution and infected the minds of millions world wide.

Well my aim is to get the message out there and prove that this is not true. Financial freedom does not require you to invest thousands and thousands of dollars before you get going. And I will prove it to you. It does not require you to work 18 hour days for the next 20 yrs. And I will prove it to you. It does not require you to do anything unethical and I’ll prove it to you.

So this is my little super soft pre-launch. The book isn’t released but if you want to get a FREE copy of my new ebook when it is released then please put your details below and I’ll keep you updated and make sure you know about it first.

Oh an I’ll also throw in a little present when you sign-up . To find out what it is fill the form and check your email!!

Image - Lets Know About.com

A lot has been talked about the current global economic crisis. Your only ever hearing about the doom and gloom and the media has done it’s best to scare the hell out of us. It’s our fault really. We are the ones who tune in to hear about which company has just collapsed, who’s going next and who might just make it through. We are the ones watching their global economic crises specials and expressing our feelings in news forums. If you want to blame the media for hyping it up then you should also blame yourself for talking about it. We are giving them ammunition because they know that deep inside your loving it. If you haven’t already read it, I have written a whole post about this a little while back which I recommend you read, just to get your head around why I’m saying this. Click here to read that post.

History tells us that times like these are usually superseded by times of great opportunity and prosperity. I’m specifically referring to the emergence from the great depression in the 30’s. Don’t worry I’m not going to do another history lesson here but rather a little bit of explaining.

The Great Depression was the major depression in the 20th century and occurred in the 20’s – early 30’s. Its a time of hyperinflation and soup kitchens.   It cannot be compared to what we are experiencing now because back then, the level of globalization was no where near where it is today. Of course at the time the US economy downturn did effect other countries around the world but it was more distinguishable in isolation.

However the similarities we can take out of it is the fact that the level of opportunity that exists in now in abundance. It introduced the world to new concepts and new thoeries on wealth generation as well as allowed those with great value added ideas to make them a reality and in turn become super successful.

Today the world is a place of uncertainty and personally I think its an extremely exciting time to be alive. This is amazing. This is a time where all the corporate giants offering terrible value buckle up to either improve their offering, or die. i can’t be the only one noticing the great deals going around today. This is a time where business opportunities are in abundance because not only are new niches being created but infiltrated niches are being abandoned creating many gaps just waiting to be filled. This is an era where people will have time to think and ponder about how to create even greater value. This is a time where we will see the emergence of the new world order of business, where people who have been cooped up in an office will finally be removed (by force) from their comfort zone and told to think. Its these thoughts in times of crisis which will no doubt become the most valuable.

I have asked this question before but I will ask again: how will you deal and emerge from this? Have you lost your job or suddenly have a lot more free time through the general decrease in world demand? Will you go back to your comfort zone or will you take advantage of this time to create value and be part of this new world order?

(Image www.wtnphotos.com)

What an odd heading. What has your (and my) success got anything to do with women’s Tennis?

I’ll start by listing the top female players in the world using the WTP tour rankings . This was done at the time of writing so if it changes by the time you read it don’t worry… I’m strongly convinced that my point will still stay valid! Well for the next 5-10 yrs anyway.

Top 10 – Women

1. Dinara Safina (RUS)
2. Serena Williams (USA)
3. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
4. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
5. Venus Williams (USA)
6. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
7. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
8. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RSA)
10. Nadia Petrova (RUS)

I know your thinking, where am I going with this? Your looking at the similarities and considering whether your name should end in an “a” or that you need to be from Russia or the Balkans in order to become successful. You could try that but there’s a little more to it.

Let me give you a brief run down of the dominant nations here, namely those countries that form part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia as well as Russia. I can see you just sitting there thinking I’ve gone mad with nostalgic school history delirium. Maybe I have a bit but bare with me, just give me 3-4 minutes of your time, it will make sense shortly.

I’ll be going through a very brief time-line after WWII. I’m doing this because that will give us a bit of a background of the Baby Boomers, ie the generation that belongs to the parents’ of these top players. Please note I’m using the great resource of Wikipedia and Infoplease.com for the first example. I’m not that gifted to be able to remember these facts my own!! By no means have I covered everything but there is a chance, and probably have, the facts a little bit mixed up but that’s not my point here. I will get to this a bit later.

Courtesy www.yale.edu

Countries that form the former Republic of Yugoslavia:

• On January 31, 1946, the new constitution of Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia was formed
  
• The country distanced itself from the Soviets in 1948 and started to build its own way to socialism under the strong political leadership of Josip Broz Tito.
• After Tito’s death on 4 May 1980, ethnic tensions grew in Yugoslavia, especially in Kosovo between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.
• 1991 Slovenia and Croatia each declare independence. Because 12% of Croatia’s population is Serbian, Yugoslavia fights hard against its secession for the next four years. As Croatia moves towards independence, it evicts most of its Serbian population.
• 1992 Ethnic tensions strain to the breaking point, and Bosnia erupts into war. Thousands die and more than a million are displaced. By the time a tenuous peace is achieved in 1995, the country has been partitioned into three areas, with each region governed by one of the three ethnic groups.
• 1996 In the southern Yugoslavian province of Kosovo, the militant Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) begins attacking Serbian policeman.
• 1998 Milosevic sends troops to Kosovo to quash unrest in the province. A guerrilla war breaks out.
• 1999 After peace talks fail, NATO carries through on its threat to launch airstrikes on Serbian targets.
• 2000 A popular uprising begins. A general strike is called and one million people flood Belgrade. Mobs attack Parliament building, security forces join them or retreat. Milosevic support crumbles, he steps down. Kostunica takes office. U.S., European Union begin to lift economic sanctions
• 2001 Milosevic is arrested by Yugoslavian authorities and charged with corruption and abuse of power.

Let me guess I’ve gone mad now haven’t I? Once again just bare with me a little. Now lets briefly (very briefly) go over Russia. Again I’m looking at post WWII Russia for the same reasons mentioned earlier. Sources used here are Wikipedia and a great Yahoo answer I found which summed it up nicely.

Courtesy www.yvonnefoong.com

• Soviet Union emerged from World War II considerably stronger than it had been before the war. Despite huge losses to its Red Army it extended its control over most of Eastern Europe known as the ‘Iron Curtain’ which separated the ‘Free Peoples’ of Western Europe from the Communist East. (The curtain was made tangible by the ‘Berlin Wall’, which bisected that city after 1961.)
• Despite its power, life in the country continued to suffer. Industrial production was once again concentrated on heavy industry, agricultural failures produced widespread famine, political freedoms were restricted even further, and another huge wave of purges was carried out.
• The Russian leaders also killed an unprecedented number of political prisoners, mainly by shipping them to Siberia or the far north (the ‘gulags’), where they either worked themselves to death or froze.
• In 1989, Russian control of Eastern Europe collapsed, and the Berlin Wall was torn down.

Ok so hopefully you have stuck around to read what I have to say and why I bothered to write a brief history of these nations. What in the world its got to do with womens Tennis and business success?

No one can read through these histories lightly. Many of the incidents that occured are shocking and disturbing. Citizens were subject to the most terrifying conditions where their main goal was to survive until the next day. People who have been subjected to these times of war and hardship have witnessed things people like me, living in the comfort of Australia, don’t dare imagine. These are people of a different mindset and a completely different level of drive and determination. Their drive is one motivated by survival.

As we can see, eight out of the top 10 women tennis players in the world are from these regions. That’s 80%. These are people who’s family history is of an extremely overwhelming background. Their parents were most likely subject to unimaginable hardships and the drive to be successful is paramount. For many of these families, the mentality was that being successful, meant survival. Their drive to succeed was fueled by the prospect of a better life.

You often hear stories of these tennis players starting at an extremely young age, being sent off to Florida alone at the age of 12 in order to make it in professional Tennis. These stories are fueled with over zealous and demanding parents expecting nothing less that success from their children. Why? Because to them, after what they have endured, that success is a matter of survival. Sure, currently the situation in the nations at hand are not what they once were, but the survival mentality and the drive to succeed does not subside.

So to me its not surprising to see a burst of talented Russians, Serbians and Croatians making headlines in the world of professional tennis. The age they enter the sport is rather fitting if you look at what their family and most likely their parents endured.

What I’m trying to get at here is that we can look towards these players for inspiration. Inspiration when it comes to drive and motivation. For us, if we fail we pick ourselves up and try something new. Not all of us have this type of drive and our privileged and cushy lifestyles make it difficult to possess such a level of determination. This is not a bad thing as we take comfort for granted which should not be frowned upon, but understood. If we do fail, its actually not that bad as you can simply pick yourself up and move on or try again.

But I’m going finish this here. I’m not going to conclude my argument or my thoughts, I’ll let you do that. However I will pose this question: how different would your approach to life and success be if failure was truly not an option?