Husband: \”I know Sweetheart. I\’m going to turn things around financially for us. Bill, down at the office, says that there\’s lots of money to be made on the Internet. I think I\’ll go to him for some advice and see if this is something I can do.\”

Wife: \”Well something has got to change. The mortgage company said that if we were late one more time with our payment that our credit was going to be ruined.\”

Husband: \”Don\’t worry. I\’ll figure something out.\”

**Next Evening At Dinner**

Husband: \”Well Bill says that on the Internet that there are companies who will pay you cold hard cash just for reading their email and that it\’s as easy as pie to get going and to start making some big bucks pretty fast.\”

Wife: \”Get paid to read email? Sounds like a scam to me!\”

Husband: \”Trust me this can really work. He told me the website to go and join up at. Can\’t wait to get started!\”

Wife: \”Alright I guess you have nothing to lose by trying. And wouldn\’t it be great if they really did pay out in hard cold cash?\”

**Four Weeks Later**

Wife: \”The mortgage company called again. How\’s your paid to read email business coming along? We really need to catch up on some things. Where\’s the cold hard cash we need right now?\”

Husband: \”The good news is that my first check is in the mail!\”

Wife: \”Great! And the bad…?\”

Husband: \”The check is for $5.68.\”

Wife: \”What? Holy Cow! You\’ve been reading hundreds of emails for almost a month! How much do you get paid for each email?\”

Husband: \”For most of them I get a penny.\”

Wife: \”#$$%%^^@#!!!\”

Husband: \”Don\’t worry, honey. One of the emails I read talked about making big money in online network marketing. This company that I just joined last night has a great plan where you get residual money just for signing up people.\”

Wife: \”MLM? For crying out loud!\”

Husband: \”Just give me some time to fill out my 7×7 matrix and then we\’ll be sitting pretty. I saw where one guy just won a trip to Europe! Wouldn\’t that be nice?\”

Wife: \”This better work this time or else…\”

Husband: \”Don\’t worry, honey. Just give it time.\”

**Four Weeks Later**

Husband: \”Great news! I\’ve got over 100 people in my power line and now I qualify for a commission check that should be here shortly.\”

Wife: \”Finally! On 100 people how big will your check be?\”

Husband: \”Well only 3 people actually bought any products so my first check should be $38 and some change.\”

Wife: \”But you spent $49 to get into this darned thing!\”

Husband: \”Don\’t worry honey. I\’m branching out so that we can get multiple streams of income. I heard that Big Online Bookstore has an affiliate program where you just send people to their site and if they buy anything you automatically get commissions!\”

Wife: \”I\’m warning you! Something has to change here. I\’m getting sick of this I tell you.\”

Husband: \”Don\’t worry. With the MLM and affiliate program I\’m sure things will turn around.\”

**Three Months Later**

Wife: \”You received a check in the mail today from Big Online Bookstore. Open it so we can go cash it. Finally your hard work is paying off. How many people did you say you sent that bought books?\”

Husband: \”The last 3 months I\’ve sent people to their site who\’ve purchased over $1000 worth of books! Let\’s rip this baby open and head to the bank!\”

Wife: \”What\’s wrong, honey? How much is the check for?\”

Husband: \”$69.15.\”

Wife: \”I\’m going to STTRRAAAAANNNGGLLEE you!\”

Copyright 2004 John Taylor

A young boy and an old man were walking along a beach. As they walked, the boy picked up each starfish he passed and threw them back into the sea. Confused, the old man asked him why.

\”If I left them here,\” the boy said, \”they would dry up and die. I am saving their lives.\”

\”But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,\” the old man said. \”How can what you\’re doing make any difference?\”

The boy looked at the starfish in his hand, threw it into the ocean, and answered, \”It makes a difference to this one.\”

How does that relate to Internet marketing?

Our quest into the world of making money online can often be like that walk along the beach. The starfish lying on the sand are the tens of thousands of people who, wanting to start their own business, have bought into some hype, and joined schemes and scams that have absolutely no chance of working for most of them.

These starfish… these people who have bet their lives\’ dreams, and often life\’s savings, on a poorly conceived, over-hyped \”business opportunity\” strike me as starfish stranded on that beach. They are so close to the ocean, – to proven online businesses they can own, and yet they need a little help.

As a consultant, and someone many people come to for solutions, I see too many who have bought into a \”packaged deal\” that includes everything from a complete turnkey website to guaranteed traffic. In theory, all they need to do is turn it on, and it will spit out dollar bills.

The dream of an instant, foolproof business is simply very, very appealing to some. We all know that if it were THAT easy, everybody would be doing it. Still, we like to believe that it is… just maybe… possible. It\’s sort of like playing the lottery. We know our chances are one in one hundred million of winning, but maybe… just maybe…

Back to that walk along the beach… You can actually earn a decent living online being that boy walking along the beach. You save these starfish, one at a time by showing them what really does work online. You see people wasting time and money on some business concept that is failing them, and you do the kind-hearted thing. You gently show them the errors of their ways.

Many will still stubbornly hold on to the scam they have bought into, and continue trying to make that work. Their chances of ever making a dime are less than average. They are still looking for the easy, no-effort way, that doesn\’t exist!

Some will notice that YOU are earning a living online and want to know how you do it. That\’s your invitation to show them what has actually proven to work for you. That\’s your green light to throw them back into the \”Internet marketing ocean\” and give them another chance at success… a much better than average chance because you teach them how not to wash up on the shore again.

One term we see used online frequently is six-figure income. That threshold has a magical effect with many because they have difficulty achieving it. You can easily achieve a six or even seven-figure income online. All you have to do is help others the do the same. They will happily pay you for your help. Help someone to earn $200,000 a year and they won\’t mind paying you handsomely for that. Teach them the proper way to do it and they will be forever grateful to you.

Now that you know the key, there\’s only one thing for you to do. That is to get started. If you don\’t know how, that\’s simple too… let those already doing what you want to do teach you. One way to do this is to join me at the Internet Marketing How To Workshop for a tremendous start. The workshop is taught by 11 people who \”save starfish\” all day long. It\’s April 30th – May 2nd, 2004. Sign up now at: http://InternetMarketingHowToWorkshop.com

Copyright 2004 Willie Crawford

How to create HTML email:

Creating the content of an HTML email is very similar to how you would create a basic web page. Just use your normal web page editor, such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver (or even Notepad can be used, in conjunction with a browser to preview the code), and construct a web page in the normal way, saving it as an .html or .htm file.

You may consider creating an HTML email template that you can use as a basis for all your future HTML emails. If so, once you\’re happy with the basic look, save it and then just open and re-edit for your future emails.

There is an important difference that you need to remember between writing HTML for your web site, and writing HTML for email.

All the URLs in your code need to be absolute, rather than relative, for all links and images, eg. http://www.yourdomain.com/image.gif, rather than something like just image.gif. This also means of course that any images used in your HTML email need to be stored on a web server, the same as when you use images on a web site.

How to send HTML email:

To send the HTML email to an individual, such as to yourself in order to check on its appearance, you can open the web page (i.e. the HTML email) you have created in the latest version of IE (File -> Open…), and then click File -> Send.

However, if you\’re creating HTML email for use in email marketing, you will normally want to use a completely different tool in order to send it to numerous recipients.

There are two main options to enable you to send email to a mailing list – you can either use some special software on your own computer; or use a web-based solution, either on your own web site, or via a service run by a third party.

If you are looking for software, you can find a variety of solutions by going to somewhere like download.com, and searching for \’send email\’.

You can also install some software onto your own web site, which can give you more control but also gives you all the responsibility for maintenance of the software/script if things go wrong.

However, I personally have a preference for using a third-party web-based service when sending out my newsletter. For one, it means my broadcasts are not reliant on my own Internet connection or PC, and it also let\’s someone else take care of delivering my messages to several thousand recipients.

There are literally hundreds of third-party web-based services available, all varying widely in quality and ease of use, and suiting different budgets and email requirements. One of the best ways to do your research on this is to check out your competitors or your favourite newsletters and ezines, and, if they send out HTML email, find out what service they use. Often the unsubscribe link, that should be at the bottom of their messages, will point towards the relevant web site.

(HINT: By signing up to my own newsletter at http://takanomi.com/newsletter, you will be able to find out which service I personally use.)

Finally, and importantly, should you send out HTML email? It entirely depends on the preferences of your own list. But, in general, look towards big business. Most big businesses tend to send out HTML email, and there\’s only going to be one main reason for that – response rates. But you do need to ensure that your HTML email is professional, easy to read, and has an attractive layout.

Copyright 2004 Steve Shaw

Steve Shaw creates systems and software for effective e-marketing. His powerful PopUpMaster Pro software creates popups that beat the popup blockers and can significantly increase your conversion rates. For more information: http://www.popupmaster.com

There are many ways to advertise your business. What kind of response do you get from e-zines, safelists, startpages, etc? Email is a great way to advertise your business, you can email so many people its hard to not get a response. E-zines are nice, better response cause you can target your promotion a little more than normal email. Start pages are good for Alexa ratings, but not much more. What kind of response do you really see though? 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%? If you get even 1% response you are the most fantastic copy writer and have the best product in the world. For the rest of us we are ecstatic when we get a 0.2% response or any at all.

Well what about the people that do buy from you? Do you even email them anymore? After you send your thank you for purchasing whatever they purchased from you, do you ever email them again? Well you should.

Lets take one person as an example. He/she buys an ebook about making minisites from you for $19.95. What can we tell about this person from their purchase? Well if they want to make mini web sites, they must have a webhost. Maybe your an affiliate for a webhosting company. Maybe they need products to sell on their minisite. Maybe they need an ebook about copywriting for their new minisites. Whatever else they need, they will buy it from somebody. They have already bought from you once, why not buy from you again?

When you make sales, make sure you have other products available to make the one they bought perform better or easier to use. If you sell one product to 100 people, then you sold a second product (that made the first product easier to use) to 50 of those people, you just sold 50% more products. You also just made 50% more profit, and didn\’t spend any more on advertising as you did before.

The point is, don\’t forget your previous customers. You will make more sales on a monthly basis with 1-2 simple emails to your previous customer base, and will significantly build your current business. Your previous customers trust you, like you, have money, and will buy from you again.

What the heck, let\’s all make a million.

Sheep follow the herd blindly with their wallets open hoping someone else will will do their work for them. Jumping into the newest multi-level marketing program will drain your wallet and your faith in humanity.

You\’re checking out internet marketing? Great! Just be sure to market what you\’re passionate about so you don\’t bail off the ship at the first sign of crashing waves and high winds. There will be obstacles and the way to go through them is to be putting your time, energy and money into work you\’re passionate about.

Be smart. Don\’t join any program that hasn\’t been around and proven itself. There are a lot of programs popping up that look like you can join and make a lot of money from the \”spill factor.\” It\’s a myth. I\’ve been on the receiving end of that one and saw many others there with me. I even created a lot of spill and saw it go away a few months later.

Yes, you can make money from getting \”spill,\” but the people who really benefit are the ones CREATING the spill. Not the receivers of the spill. Like everything in life, the fruits go to those who provide the labor.

Would you rather receive the benefits of being Bill Gates who created Microsoft or receive the benefits of getting welfare because you signed up for the program and chose not to work? (Which is the same as signing up for a multi-level program that you don\’t do any work on building yourself). Forget the money, which one is more satisfying to your soul?

Nothing against these programs, as with everything, 20% of the people involved make 80% of the money. That\’s true in every industry and yes, some people make a lot of money, but they work their butts off to get there. They deserve the money they EARN.

If you\’re looking for a free ride, it ain\’t gonna happen my friend. It takes commitment and a good work ethic to produce results no matter what you\’re doing.

A big problem with these programs is that almost everyone who jumps in is hoping to pay some cash in the hopes of cashing out like they bought a lottery ticket.

Business opportunities aren\’t lottery tickets. I know this flies against the lack of common sense used by the \”biz op seeking herd of sheep,\” but it\’s the flat out truth. Do you know of ANY business that generated a lot of money without someone or many someone\’s putting in hard work?

Why would you expect anything less from a home based business? It\’s home based, but it\’s still a business. It\’s no less legitimate than a non-home-based business, the only difference is that you get a lot more money and freedom…once it\’s built. You have to build it. It doesn\’t build itself for you. And you have to do research on the business to make sure it\’s not a scam before you put down your cash or give up your credit card number.

Can you make money while you sleep? Definitely. Do you have to put in work and build a foundation, a reputation and…a business first? Definitely. Can you buy into some new program, advertise it for a week or two to see how it does and make a lot of money? Definitely not. Tire kickers don\’t make money with any business.

So what should you do? I invite you to look inside yourself, maybe look at what turned you on as a child and make money with something related to that. What did the acorn inside you do with all the free time you had as a child? Did you write, race, build, help others? Do what works for your soul.

I understand the pull to want to make money easily. I was pulled into that trap many times before I figured out that I had to do what felt more like play to me than work. Then I had to make a commitment to succeed and do everything possible to make it happen.

When you see a herd of sheep racing toward the \”next big thing\” exercise caution, slowly head in the other direction and don\’t try it out until you\’ve given it a year to prove that it\’ll still be around. Otherwise your time, effort and money will have ran out to pasture with all the other sheep.

Instead, study leaders in the field you\’re interested in, copy what works for them (using your own unique style), and build a foundation that will get you to the bank with the most money. As our friend the tortoise showed us in his race against the hare, slow and steady wins the race every time.

Age : 37

Residence: Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Q) When did you first start out online?

A) It all started in 2000.

Q) What\’s the main focus, program-wise of your promotional activities?

A) Right now, I\’m focussing on building my list through the Life Style Networker leads generating program.

Q) How did you find out about this program and why have you chosen to promote it?

A) I found out about this program while surfing through various surf4hits programs. I just fell in love with this program because it makes sense.

I got sick and tired of being scammed and lied to for so long, that I couldn\’t take it anymore, so I\’ve decided to start my own opt-in list to share my experience with other people and so far, it\’s very rewarding.

Q) What challenges do you face as an internet marketer?

A) Staying focus is and will always be a challenge as we are bombarded with overhyped ads, new programs popping up every single day plus can\’t find the time to promote due to full time work.

My main challenges I face as an internet marketer are motivating, training, educating, convincing people to stay active in your organization.

Other things such as finding quality prospects and leads is also a challenge for me as there are less and less venues to find good places to advertise.

Q) Have you found ways of overcoming these obstacles and if so, what are they?

A) Not really, but I have learned to diversify areas where to advertise, you have to be literally everywhere. Tools such as autoresponders help but I prefer the person to person approach as I get better results.

Q) What advice would you give to someone who\’s just starting out online?

A) Find a good leader to look up to, ask a lot of questions, grab as any tools and resources as possible to educate yourself about everything, from learning basic html to how to write killer ad copy and how to promote online.

But the most important advice I can give to a newbie is start an opt-in list, period.

Q) Have you found any marketing techniques that really work for you?

A) Yes! For the first time in my internet marketing life, my article got published, horraayy! It felt so good, my first taste of success is sooo sweet.

From that article I received several leads and signups to my LSN page.

The other technique I use in surf4hits programs is I promote to 10 sites, find which ones get the most unique hits in a given week, then buy hits from the program that stands out.

When your credits run out, you do the process all over again as traffic from surf4hits programs fluctuates.

Q) Where can people find you if they want to know more about your business?

A) They can always email me at penafiel@shaw.ca or call me personally on my cell at 604-783-8725. I\’m also active at various forums especially on Adtactics and LSN.

Q) Internet marketing can be pretty stressful at times, how do you unwind?

A) I play golf at local golf courses or go to my local driving range and just beat the heck on the golf balls and sometimes I play golf in my backyard until my neighbour complains.

Q) Lastly, have you heard any good jokes lately?

A) Woman Says, Man Hears

What a woman says:

This place is a mess! C\’mon, you and I need to clean up. Your stuff is lying on the floor and you\’ll have no clothes to wear if we don\’t do laundry right now!

What a man hears: Blah, blah, blah, blah, C\’MON, blah, blah, YOU AND I, blah, blah, blah, blah, ON THE FLOOR, blah, blah, blah, blah, NO CLOTHES, blah, blah, blah, blah, RIGHT NOW.

You may have no idea where the online merchant is located. You may not know how safe your personal and credit card information will be.

You may be unsure if you’ll even get the product or what to do if the product is broken when it arrives at your door.

These types of concerns are what you are up against when you sell products from a website.

Here some tips to build credibility with potential customers.

1. Include all your contact information on your homepage. Your phone and fax numbers, e-mail address, etc. List the hours you’re available to take customers’ phone calls.

2. Offer a money-back guarantee. This is a must, especially if you’re selling higher price items. Mention your guarantee at least a couple of times in your copy.

The more details you give about your guarantee the more comfortable your prospect will feel. Your guarantee should be valid for at least 30 days after the purchase and it’s best to have a “no-questions-asked” return policy.

Be prompt in refunding the customer’s money

3. Tell your site visitors how their credit card and personal information will be protected if they buy from you.

Do you use a secure,encrypted server to process their transaction? Tell them. I have this info spelled out right below the “Buy Now” button on my website.

If you use a online credit card processing company like PayPal, be sure to include the credit card buyer protection policy and merchant verification process. People want to know how they’ll be protected against credit card fraud.

My credit card processing company, PaySystems (http://www.revecom.com) has a 100% guarantee against credit card fraud. Customers can click on hyperlink to read the guarantee before they actually fill out any credit card and personal information.

4. Use testimonials from satisfied customers. Nothing helps sell a product like a happy buyer. The more detailed the testimonial the better. Be sure to get your customer’s permission before you quote him or her in your marketing material.

Always use the customer’s first and last name, company name and title (if applicable) and their location.

I think you’re less likely to believe a testimonial if it’s just signed “J. Doe” instead of “John Doe, President, XYZ Company, Houston, Texas.”

5. List your credentials or experience on your website or in your ezine. Again, the key is the more a customer knows about who they are dealing with, the more assured they going to feel doing business with you.

By putting these suggestions into action, you’re bound to have a happy group of customers. And good “word-of-mouth” is the cheapest, and most effective form of advertising.

What\’s wrong?

It could be the recession (although that\’s debatable).

With thousands of people losing their jobs each week, consumer confidence (and therefore consumer spending) is down.

But on the other hand, if thousands of people are losing their jobs, there is without doubt a growing army of people out there who are looking to the Internet to make their living.

But let\’s leave aside the recession, and look at two other reasons you may not be getting sales:

(1) People very rarely buy the first time.

You must have heard the statistics – people have to see your product an average of 7 times before they buy it. When I cast my mind back to the marketing eBooks I\’ve purchased, in each case I saw those books advertised for months – on websites, in newsletters – before I bought them.

So if you want to make a sale, you must find a way to stay in contact with your visitors – and bring them back.

The easiest way to do this is to offer your visitors a free subscription to your newsletter.

Another way is to offer your visitors a free autoresponder course that educates them about the product or service you are offering. Create a series of 5 emails about your service or product and put them on an autoresponder that provides automated follow-up.

Getresponse is a free service that allows you up to 20 follow-ups (you specify the intervals between each message):

http://www.getresponse.com/

The point here is that if your visitors leave your website without taking anything away (a free version of your E-Book, an autoresponder course, your Newsletter), you\’ve probably lost them for good.

(2) Allow people to feel they already own it.

If you give your visitors the feeling of what it would be like to own your product or service, they\’re much more likely to buy.

Here\’s a real-life example of this principle (a rather disturbing one).

It\’s a well known fact that if a burglar can see into your house, they are much more likely to rob you than if they can\’t. Why?

Because by seeing into your house, the burglar has already \’owned\’ it psychologically.

If a burglar can\’t see into your house, you are much less likely to be robbed (you can\’t psychologically \’own\’ what you can\’t see).

Here\’s another interesting fact. If your house has been burgled, there\’s a very high probability that the same burglar will return – 6 or 8 weeks later. Why?

Again, it\’s the same principle. The burglar has seen the inside of your house – and has psychologically \’owned\’ it.

It\’s because of this same principle that car salesmen try and get potential customers to sit in the new car. Once you\’ve smelt the inside of that new car, you\’re much more likely to buy it. You\’ve imagined owning it.

So give your visitors a free download of one or two chapters of your E-Book, or a free trial period of your service. Let them imagine what it would be like to own it.

(c) 2000 by Michael Southon

This is a very easy problem to overcome. One the has plagued even the bes of poker players. I myself used to play and lose money money after winning a few hands but that all ended as time passed, I read strategies and books, and really began to focus and learn about poker.

One of the first things I did was stop playing after I won money. This way I would not begin to lose money. I got rid of the habbit of playing loose after I won money and I also stoped betting when I had weak hands. When you leave after you win money, you will only know hoq to win and you will remove the actions that cause you to lose money Of course if you are not making money there are other strategies

This is another strategy used to help you anylize how you win and how you lose. If you print out the games you win, you can study them and use them as a reference in the future. This is a great way to learn what wins and what loses. When many people start out, they beleive that pocket aces are the best hand in the game. Statistics will tell you that they are, but proffessionals will tell you that this hand is not as good as it may seem. That is a topic for another day…

If you are winning and then start losing, Leave the table and do something else. This way, you will keep your money and you will be happy.

One huge mistake my friend made was to play 2 tables at once. This is not a good move. This causes you to lose money in actuality because you can not concentrate on either one now.

The most important piece of equipment is a fishing rod and the best place to purchase a rod is at a real pro shop or bait and tackle shop. Pro shops usually have a really good return policy. If you get a rod that is not comfortable for you, too stiff or too flexible, too long or too short, they will usually exchange it for a rod that will work better for you. They want your return business for things like bait and tackle.

The Place:

The best place to fish for salmon is in the river when they come up to spawn. The local pro shop should be happy to provide you with the best times for fishing salmon. Salmon spawn at different times and come up the rivers at different intervals throughout the season, so planning is important if you want to fish when the salmon are spawning.

The Boat:

Best to have a flat bottom river boat, but those are expensive. It may not be a good idea to take a regular \”V\” hull lake boat into the river because the depths can be too shallow and unpredictable.

The Guide?

Another exciting way to experience your first salmon trip is by hiring a guide. You\’ll learn more from the guide then on your own. It can be pricey, but it\’s worth it. Something to think about.

Shore Fishing

No boat? No worries. Fishing from shore is a wonderful way to experience this fantastic hobby as well.

The Bait:

Ask the at the pro shop what works best in your area or the area you are going to fish. They usually suggest salmon eggs. They are cured in many different ways and everyone has their favorite. The reason why you would want to use salmon eggs is because after salmon spawn, the parent fish stay around the nest to protect the eggs from predators like trout.

The currents will also carry the eggs away. When this happens the parent fish gently pick the eggs in their mouth and bring them back to the nest. So, when you dangle salmon eggs in the water after the salmon have spawned, they will see the eggs and assume that some have floated out of the nest. When they go to retrieve them, they get hooked!

The Catch:

Take along an ice chest filled with ice to keep your catch fresh. You may want to have a couple of five gallon buckets as well. One bucket for cleaning your catch. Another bucket to keep the ready-to-eat gutted and cleaned salmon in. If you clean it before you take it home, you avoid the smelly bloody mess in your kitchen. A third bucket could be used to save salmon eggs gutted from a female. You can save the egg sack and cure it later. You can learn more about how to cure the eggs, or roe, online or talk to someone in your local pro shop for suggestions.

The Filleting:

You can cut your fish in two ways, steaks or fillets. Salmon steaks are the easiest way to cut them up. Filleting takes a little more practice. You will probably destroy the first few you try to fillet. Don\’t worry, all those little mangled pieces can be smoked and turned into a salmon dip. Mmm good!

The Cooking:

There are many ways to cook salmon. Pan fry, BBQ, roasted or even smoked. If you do decide to smoke your salmon pieces, be sure not to dry them out too much.

Here\’s a simple recipe for salmon dip.
One cup smoked salmon
Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese
Half cup chopped onion
Salt, pepper, garlic, to taste

Now you have it; go out there and catch some salmon!