Puppy Dog Technique

Some tips from one of my all time favorite sales guru, Don Alm. I do not endorse or is in anyway an affiliate of his product. But the idea is really simple and do-able. Here's his technique :

A company near where I lived was making "Water Filters". These were small, aluminum can looking things with a spout. It sat on a counter near the sink. When you wanted clear, filtered (charcoal filter) drinking water...you attached the hose to your faucet and ran water thru the unit and you filled a gallon jug with clear, clean, filtered water.

Well...instead of trying to sell these thru retail stores...the mfg set up a Sales Force where each salesperson got 10 units a week...on a Friday afternoon. The sales people (myself included) would then take a Territory...go down one side of a residential street and back the other side...stopping at each house...offering to "leave the unit for a week" and you'd be back next week to either pick up the unit or a check. Well...this was called "The Puppy Dog". (If you give someone a cute, little puppy to take care of for a few days or week...there's NO WAY you were going to get it back)

So...fast forward to this day and apply it to Websites or...Mobile Marketing or Videos. As an example: If you create a website for a Roofer (or Chiropractor or Dentist, etc) and offer that site to 10 Roofers with the first one who pays for it, gets it....whala! (Puppy Dog!) It's ALREADY BUILT...all you are looking for is a "Renter".

Or...Offer to Create a "Mobile Site" for a business at NO obligation (This is where consumers can access information and even Videos about a business...on their CELL PHONES. Gather the info put up the site...show the owner and tell him you'll be back in 2 weeks. Chances are...he WILL BUY! (Puppy Dog)Walk into ANY Retail Store (or Service business; Roofer, Plumber, Electrician, Heating & Air Cond, etc) ...ask owner if you can "Make a Video" of his business (store), at NO up front fee or Obligation. Take digital photos and make a Video/DVD with PhotoStory3...go back to store...show owner video you created on a Portable DVD Player (Phillips, $88 at WalMart) and whala... chances are HIGH he will buy. (Puppy Dog)

I've specialized in Restaurants because they take GREAT PRIDE in their "Interior Decor". They spend much time and money on their Interiors, only problem is...to SEE their Interior Decor you must be INSIDE.I offer to make a Video of their restaurant including many shots of their Inside and Plates of Food. I show the owners a Sample of what I've done, by running my Portable DVD Player (Phillips, $88 at WallyWorld) They give me the OK. I take shots with my Kodak Easy Share Digital. Go to my office and create a Video with PhotoStory3...then burn it to a DVD with Sonic ($19.95 on PS3 page)....put the DVD in the Portable DVD Player and go back to the restaurant.When owners sees what I've done...he BUYS! (Puppy-Dog)

Also...let's say you do SEO or AutoResponder Service and you want to get some business from biznesses with existing websites. Make a Full Color POSTCARD of the first page with a Photo and Boxes with arrows pointing to how you can Improve their site.This is a form of the "Puppy-Dog". When they get THIS PostCard with THEIR Website on it....they HAVE TO LOOK AT IT! It's THEIR website. Now that you grabbed their attention...you tell them what's wrong with their site and how YOU can improve it. Think about "Puppy Dogging" your sales.

The Amazing "Black Box" Theory

A black box is something like a software product (but it could be a service) that people desperately need in their business, that they pay every month to use. For instance, an online shopping cart is a black box. A hosting service is a black box. A website audio service is a black box. An online back up service is a black box.

Because...

1. It's a service the every business needs (all businesses need to follow up and stay in touch with their customers and prospects).

2. It's a service that is used almost every day by people who own a license to use the system.

3. It's a service in which I receive money every time a person uses the system.

4. It's a service that grows every day because there are people introducing the system to new people everyday (and I make money for each new person that joins my organization).

5. It's a service that I don't have to do any day-to-day customer service on and I don't have to do any upgrades or billing or anything like that.

Think about this when starting your own business..............................

Make Money from Artist

I was talking to an artist friend a couple of days back. He was lamenting on the lack of facilities in our area which support his love for art. Well, I thought - we can setup an artist playground of sort where the building has rooms setup for ceramics, painting, silk screenings, theater, writing, open mic, dance, photography, etc. This building will also have social areas for people to mingle over coffee and healthy foods. People pay a monthly membership to have access and it is also rented out for events. How's that for a business idea !

Instant Flash Builder Business

I am not a good IT person, but I come across this wonderful site service providing motion templates with easy upload graphic and text to fit template animation. What's interesting is that the company claims that using their Instant Flash Builder is as easy as using a drag and drop editor - No technical skills required - Search engine friendly too ! If it's indeed true, then we can readily start a website Flash builder business. Check them out http://www.wix.com/

Profitable Avatar Stamp Head

This simple idea originated from craftsmakers...why not customise avatar rubber stamp head ? Imagine the millions of avatar character out there in cyberspace. Individual would love to have their very own avatar stamp as a reflection of themselves and their own identity. They can show it to their friends and wah-la.......unique and one of it's kind in the world. Here's a fantastic site that shows step by step how you can do it http://datenform.de/blog/tag/friends/

Get Your Own Gold-Mine Royalties

Well, I just come across an interesting business that has been going on for years and not very well known....Royal Gold is a precious-metals company that doesn't mine, buy, or sell gold or silver. Instead, it buys rights to the royalties paid out by precious metal mines in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and West Africa. Mine companies benefit by getting to raise capital without selling equity, while Royal Gold avoids capital and operating costs and legal or environmental liabilities.

Start Your Own Bio-Chemical Lab

I remember chemistry lessons fondly - especially when we hadn't got any deadlines and just started playing. Now I'm an adult, I have no access to just do experiments for fun. I want to be able to head to some store, and rent desk space in a lab for an hour (much like an Internet cafe). Dangerous chemicals and experiments could only be done out of hours, and the fee would include third-party insurance (plus insurance for yourself as an extra).

The lab could also work on commission from the substances used... they order in bulk, supply you the space, but you must buy your chemicals from that lab. Ditto for expensive equipment; the basic use of beakers, burets, vials, balances would be free, but you might be charged per use of a spectrophotometer.

This would also be a god-send for those attempting to use their own garage or shack to make meth. No more mixing in the bathtub while the wife and kiddies bang on the door! A rentable meth lab will put the market back in the hands of the small business man.

Or not just a chemistry lab -- I've long had a dream of a sort of engineers' commune, with chemistry lab, electronics lab, machine shop, and all that nifty stuff that doesn't readily fit in the average garage (never mind apartment), and that an individual tinker doesn't really need to own, just to have occasional access to.

Apartments as seen on TV

I recommend that real estate agents should compare homes for sale to well-known pop culture homes so that buyers reading the ads have a feel for the place before going to see it. Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Dynasty, Dallas, and Falcon Crest.....or a Eldon Tyrell's apartment from "Blade Runner" or Anderton's apartment in "Minority Report" ?

Even better idea to rent apartments styled after television shows - shopping for apartments and all the styles that different offerings include are named like "The Ambassador", or "The Wilson". I want to get an apartment that looks like Jerry Seinfelds! Why don't apartment builders style their offerings after diggs on famous shows. Apartment styles could be called, "The Seinfeld", or "The Fraiser"..Or "The Ally Mcbeal" etc.... You get the picture.

This is quite similar to my earlier post idea on the Hollywood Celebrity Business.

How to turn Pennys into Dollar

It seems that a lot of people have change stored up in their house just waiting to exchange it at the bank. But who really has the time to lift those heavy bottles of coins? But once you do lift that lump of change out of your house, you have to take it out just to exchange it at the bank again! Why not just save time and energy and pay someone do it ?

Make an appointment and give an estimate of how much change you have, and the guys will be at your door in less than a week. Once the coins have been counted by a machine tested for great accuracy, you'll get it exchanged for cash in no time. Who can beat the price of a flat rate of $20.00 + 5% of the total amount of change ?

Small businesses/Arcades/Grocery- The second part of this business will be to resell these quarters to small businesses/arcades/groceries or any other business that needs coins. Is there any website that someone can direct me into to find out how much (if people are already doing this) banks are charging to sell coins?

Appliance Testing Rental Business

I've been seeing the commercials lately for vacuum cleaners. They look pretty nice, but I have no way to judge whether what they are saying is true or not. Now this basically applies to vacuum cleaners but I think it would work for most small appliances e.g. blenders, air purifiers, etc.

The main selling points for most products is performance. It it doesn't work right, it's a waste of money. I believe there should be either a business or a branch of each manufacturing company that provides what is basically a rental service with an eye towards you buying their product. If I want to try out Vacuum X, I would call and they would send me the vacuum cleaner. I can use it in my home, spill things and clean them at my leisure, basically test out all the features of the machine in my home, under my home's conditions (my dog's fur, my kids' messes, my messy hobbies).

The company would have arrange for me to buy the item in "2 easy payments" - first payment for the rental period and the second payment to keep it.If I have enjoyed the experience with my vacuum cleaner I will keep it, if I haven't I just send it back or ask for a different vacuum and so on until I find a machine that meets my needs.

This would probably work best for smaller appliances, but I guess it might work with bigger ones. I just don't see many commercials about refridgerators or washer/dryers and how great they are. Not to mention what a hassle it would be to install these for the trial period.

Do you have any questions or comments about this strategy? Share them with us....

Work from Home Scam

Many of us would like to make a little extra money in our spare time. But how do you find a legitimate job ? With the internet, how do we know which are actually scam like most envelope stuffing and refund processing jobs.? The answer maybe this......."Rat Race Rebellion" is a website that offers work at home job leads and resources which help you sorts through work at home offers. It lists offers from legitimate companies, gives ideas on how to find jobs, and shows warning signs a job may be a scam. Not a bad start to your first entrepreneur venture.

Turn Around Your Craft Hobby Business

There are many simple craft hobby business ideas people are making a living.

Here is an interesting simple business idea of how one such homemaker use the compact cassette tape and turn it into a small lamp. Here's the link.

 

Turning your creative hobby into a business means learning the secrets of where to position your crafts in front of hundreds of thousands of buyers - and not just at craft shows. If you're considering starting a craft hobby business and work from home, there has never been a better time.

There are many sites where small entrepreneurs sell everything from original artwork and greeting cards, to jewelry, bags and clothing. Below are some example to get you started on simple and small home business ideas:

Etsy.com

Loungeluxe.com

ehow.com

Mightygoods.com

Make Money with Operating Manual

This is an easy home business idea. The biggest pain is when you need a product manual and can never find one when it's been misplaced only to be further disappointed by the company you gave your money to by purchasing a product that they no longer supply a manual. It would be nice to go to a centralized location that has information and the manual on every product ever made.

This would be a global website that has the repair manuals, consumer guide service manuals, technical details and specifications, all in one website for every product in the world. Example of such may include full-series of factory shop manuals for each vehicle. And I think this would be a great idea for video game instructions too - considering half the ones you rent are missing theirs.

The website could be divided into two parts: (1) freebie area where end users can upload manuals not listed and share them and then (2) a pay section for the official manuals involving sensitive information which you can sign up for a 3-year subscription fee. This could be a powerful way to get lots of attention from frustrated product owner.

Do you have any questions or comments about this home business idea? Share them with us.....

Maybe quite similar to ebay collectables and ebay memorabilia, seas-shells art print are a unique sellers proposition of consideration. There is an online video that shows you how to do it sea-shells art print.

It shows a very cool way to profit on eBay using F-R-E-E information available in the public domain. It doesn't cost you anything, just time to research and re-package and you are ready to go. An interesting and easy way for ebay-ing.

If you'll like to have more of such related ebay hidden secrets, you can read my earlier post on the Ebay Airbrushing How-To as well.

Google Map Business Idea

I think this is so cool (I realize that some people may not) !!! Sometime between last night and this morning Google maps (maps.google.com) put up the street view for my area. How crazy is it?!!! I love it!!! The picture doesn't go all the way down my cul-de-sac, but that's my house right in front of you. I checked out my old house and our next door neighbors kids are outside riding their bikes and another neighbor is sitting of their front porch. It looks like every day more areas across the U.S. are being done. You should check out your address! If you are not familiar with it:

• go to maps.google.com and scroll to U.S.A continent.
• be sure to click the street view button in the top right area of the map
  zoom into your city and any street that is outlined in blue is one that you can view in the street view format.
• an orange person will be present and you can drag and drop that person where ever you want to be (use the X below the person to make sure you drop down on the right street).
• then a window will pop up with the view of the street. You can look all around (complete 360 degrees)
• enjoy!!!

You can expand these ideas further with geological representation of information valuable to others...like the business I mention in my Gold Rush post, detailing locations of gold mine for possible harvesting and earning from it.

Tracking Diamonds Using RFID

One of the biggest challenges that diamond traders face with is in managing the hundreds if not thousands of loose gems. Imagine walking into the storehouse inventory with all these small envelopes of precious loose stones stacked in boxes and trying to figure out the exact gem type. If you are using a barcode scanner, life is probably prettier although still rather tedious. For some it is an entirely MANUAL task, an extremely difficult job. It will take ages just to make sure all the numbers tally. What if there is a better solution? Like sticking the box through a tunnel-like scanner, and everything about your inventory reads out to you on the screen ? The Answer :

Diamonds are placed in an individual envelope, and each envelope is small enough to be stack-fit into a namecard box. RFID tags are then stuck to the envelope (paper label) or inserted (non- adhesive plastic card), one tag for each envelope. When the user pushes the box through the scanner, it reads the information stored in the tag for each envelop and display the entire inventory for a single box on the screen. This is a HUGE man hours saver.

100 tags can be identified in 1-2 seconds. Take a scenario of 10,000 diamonds. In terms of equipment resources using this solution, it will require 2 x MTR units (the tunnel like scanner above), operated by 1 person. In terms of time, it will take approximate 5 hours to complete inventory check procedure. Contrast this to a manual system. For 10,000 diamonds, it will require 20 persons over 3 weeks thereabouts. That comes up to 15 minutes per diamond vs 5 minutes per 100 diamonds. It’s a great saving in man-hours, no doubt about it. Think about it !

Creating Niche YouTube Clones for Profit

Another simple home business idea is that I have seen several aspiring entrepreneurs create YouTube clones and scrape YouTube videos to be placed on their sites. Some of these sites were then subsequently listed in auctions within webmaster forums.

Surprisingly, these YouTube clones do derive a fairly decent amount of search traffic with some revenue coming from display of contextual ads.

Copyright issues may cause these YouTube clones to be shut down and displaying Adsense on them may be more of a risk then a profitable move. Instead of creating a clone, it might be better to create a niche video site that targets a specific audience.

For example, a social video sharing website specifically on the topic of Yoga. One could liaise with Yoga equipment manufacturers, schools and blogs and work out exclusive ad, video and traffic-sharing partnerships.

This will work as a competitive advantage because major video websites have content that are conceptually dispersed, with no exclusivity or emphasis on a niche topic, nor any strong sense of community.

Simple Ebook Business Idea

Here's a 10 step process you can use to setup the secret ebook business online selling Private Label Rights (PLR) or resell right product or even your own product...

STEP 2 - Remove 5% from your product.Once you grab some quality free ebook resell rights, remove 5% out of it. Lets say you grabbed resell rights to a dog training ebook. Read it and remove just 5% content out of it. Keep this content aside on a safe place for step 3.STEP 1 - Hunt google to research.
Visit google and type in your 'niche keyword' along with 'resell rights'.
For example: If you're planning to sell an intelligent investor ebook resell right product, search for "investor training resell rights" or "investor training resell right products" or something similar on google. After some research, you will clearly see how other websites operate their investor training business. You will get some quality resell right products on the way. You will also know their business strategy as to how they convince a customer on their site to get the sale. Note down the ideas that you get along with your research of quality resell right products.

STEP 3 - Create a Killer Follow-Up System.
Now create a killer follow-up system using the content that you removed in Step 2.
Yes convert the content into a quality... * Mini - the Secret eBook Course* Report. You have to give this quality product to your visitors for free. They will act as a bait to get them to signup in your list.

STEP 4 - Create a Lead Capturing Page.
Create a killer lead capturing minisite with killer graphics and attention grabbing benefit laden copy. Put this lead capturing minisite on your main domain, which is index.html on your root directory, that's probably your public_html folder. The url of your lead capturing minisite will be www.YourDomainName.com Convince your visitors on the benefits of your free bait that you've created in Step 3 and get them to fill up a form on your website with their name and email address to get the free stuff. Once they do this, send them your free gift instantly by using a quality autoresponder service.

STEP 5 - Create a Killer Salesletter.Read the salesletter provided by the free ebook resell rights. Remove the benefits from the resell right product salesletter and now write your own salesletter in your own words. Design a simple minisite and create eye-catching graphics for your product and get your salesletter ready to pull in orders. Put your salesletter on a page such as dog-training.html on your domain name. Make sure you use your niche keyword to name the page of the domain name. As per our example your domain name page will look like http://www.blogger.com/www.YourDomainName.com/dog-training.html

STEP 6 - Get traffic to your domain.
Now get traffic to your lead capturing page. Put all your efforts to promote your lead capturing page.

STEP 7 - Follow-Up Automatically.Once your visitor signs up to your lead capturing page, divert them to your salesletter. Your autoresponder will do this automatically; it will follow up your subscribers with your PLR ebook course on autopilot.

STEP 8 - Blast weekly newsletter.
Create a weekly newsletter with quality content and blast it to your list to build your relationship with your subscribers. Make sure you do this on consistent basis.

STEP 9 - Terrific Customer Support.Make sure you provide your customers excellent support. If you do this, you will be able to cash in on Step 10 where real goldmine exists.

STEP 10 - Backend.
Now get some more quality free ebook resell rights products and sell them to your existing customers using Step 1 to 9 above. Just setup the system once and let your autoresponder do the selling for you on autopilot. It is really easy to sell existing satisfied customers than first time visitors.

Selling Ebay AirBrushing Skills

Most often, ebay sellers would list item for auction such as ebay memorabilia and ebay collectables. Though these items command higher profit and are unusually sought after, they run the risk of incurring higher logistical cost on shipping damages.

However, there are some VERY creative sellers on eBay. These guys are selling product that costs a few dollars to produce. Unlike the stocking problem with the ebay memorabilia and ebay collectables, they have no fear of running out of inventory. Virtually no fear of competition (no direct competition EVER).

They make as much of it as they want for a few dollars each ! And they COULD be building a great mailing list of NICHE enthusiasts.Selling on Ebay using Airbrushing skills will be a good niche.

Here's a short online video about the hidden opportunity in Ebay Airbrushing How-To