Category Archives for "Internet Marketing"

The Ideal Sales Option for Small Businesses, Especially Small Manufacturers

By John Aberle | affiliate marketing , Internet Marketing

Here’s a number to make any small manufacturer or small business take note: Clickbank has paid affiliates over $1,294,388,522 in the company’s ten years in business. I captured this figure Friday, June 26, 2009, 11:08 PM PDT. Marketing Sherpa reported in their Affiliate Summit 2006 Wrap-Up Report that commissions would reach $6.5 billion in 2006. Those figures demonstrate the huge impact this form of Internet marketing has.

This is a way to add a sales organization of commission-only salespeople! Affiliate marketing offers a solution that small manufacturers are looking for. How do you get sales help when your average sale is so small that you can’t attract an independent rep, and you’re too small to afford a sales team of your own? Turn to Internet marketing and specifically to affiliate marketing.

Initially, I thought of affiliate marketing was only for digital products. After all, Clickbank specializes in digital product sales. Also, the first money I earned on the Internet came as a result of promoting First Step Internet Marketing to my friends and business associates. However, as I thought about it, I saw that the system to do affiliate marketing applies wonderfully to any manufacturer and to any small business.

As I looked deeper, I found Continue reading

A Great Looking Website Only Gives You an Office on the Internet — Now You Need to Attract Traffic

By John Aberle | Internet Marketing , soft sell marketing , soft sell sales

I’ve had numerous clients who wonder why their websites fail to produce sales. The answer is simply the lack of marketing. Traffic doesn’t just happen because you have a URL or website address and a presence on the Internet any more than it does if you have an office in an office building or an industrial park. Having had a small business in a commercial park, I can assure you, we did not have walk-in traffic. The Internet with millions of websites is worse than any neighborhood in the world for trying to be seen just by having a “presence” on the web.

For instance, in October 2008, Netcraft reported 182,226,259 sites from their web server survey. That number has surged to 235,890,526 sites in their May 2009 survey. Given that volume of competition for attention, I would say that the odds of being “found” by chance are slim to none. You need to actively market your business like you would any “brick and mortar” business, i.e. a company with a physical storefront or office space.

Avoid panicking at these numbers. Only a fraction of that number provides competition to you. Instead use this information to motivate yourself to actively market your business.Continue reading

Little Insights on Design Improve the Effectiveness of Your Marketing

By John Aberle | Internet Marketing , Sales and Marketing

Seth Godin’s blog today asked, “Why aren’t you (really) good at graphic design?” He makes an important point for anyone in sales and marketing and anyone in Internet marketing. You can’t afford to be anything less than really good at design. Everyone these days wants to cut expenses as much as possible so businesses do most of their design in-house. And it shows. One of the reasons I love my blog site and put so much more attention on it than I do on my website is that thanks to themes I feel I have an attractive blog, which allows me to focus on the content. My website needs design help. I admit it. But it’s up. And the content is customer-focused.

Like so most small businesses I know, I’m doing what I can to control expenses and grow my consulting/coaching/speaking practice to reach the point where I have the budget to use professionals on the areas where their skills will have maximum impact.

But Seth’s article reminded me of the simple tips I received in high school Continue reading

Squeeze Pages – Are They Just Business Tools or Are They Manipulations

By John Aberle | Internet Marketing , Sales and Marketing

For a lot of people, it’s not an issue at all. For me and for some of my friends, it’s been a quandary. I don’t like squeeze pages. In fact, I think the very term reeks of manipulation. Squeeze pages are designed to give you two choices: opt-in to my mailing list or leave. Invariably there is a sense of urgency, like sign now for this limited time offer or lose the chance to get this information that will help transform your life. The offers of free information are seductive. And as a result, I’m on numerous mailing lists. By the way, I’ve found some wonderfully helpful material this way.

Yet, I’ve been puzzling over using them myself. In fact, I have one set up on my Smart Money Websites site. After all, they apparently work. Despite that, something has bothered me about them. I teach that a salesperson should help the customer buy through selling as a service. Sales can be done without controlling prospects, manipulating them or pressuring them. I’ve done it throughout my career. This approach makes for better relationships after the sale if you follow through.

So what is the problem? Why the quandary? Continue reading

I Love Podcasts

By John Aberle | Internet Marketing , Podcasts

I love podcasts. If you haven’t tried them yet, you might find they are a wonderful way to expand you knowledge while exercising or driving. Despite the name, which implies they are for an Apple iPod, podcasts are actually mp3 recordings that will run on any mp3 player or even on your computer if you have an mp3 player. Most sites with mp3 downloadable files also have a flash mp3 file you can use to listen to the recording right there. For an example, check out my PodBean site, http://johnaberle.podbean.com/. You can also Google – or use your favorite search engine, like Yahoo! to find “flash mp3 player” if you want to install one on your site.

Because I find podcasts so helpful, it came as a shock when I read something on Paul Colligan’s Business of Podcasting and New Media blog post, 1/28/09, “Podcasting Is Dead?” http://www.paulcolligan.com/. Apparently some authorities claim podcasting is dead. Yet Paul showed a Google Trends graph that clearly indicates an incredible interest level in podcasts compared to social media, new media, and online media. Obviously the public still thinks podcasts are vital and important. You can find my comment at http://www.paulcolligan.com/2009/01/28/podcasting-is-dead/#comments.

What do you thinK about podcasts? What do you like or not like about them?

Thanksgiving Greeting with Reasons for Thanks despite the News

By John Aberle | Gratitude , Internet Marketing , Sales and Marketing , Social Networking

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year so it seems fitting that I use this event to launch my blog.

I have four reasons for loving Thanksgiving so:
* I love turkey and in my family I usually get it only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
* Our family gathers together to share time and food and to celebrate our blessings.
* The pressure of getting the right gifts or enough gifts is still a month off.
* Most of all, I love putting my attention on the good things, the blessings of the year. It helps me feel
upbeat.

Particularly this year when the media is filled with scary news from the financial industry and government topped by news of natural disasters affecting so many people, it may seem especially hard to be grateful. The interesting thing is that life is filled with both good and bad, always.

When I was dating Dorothy almost 20 years ago, I was fired from a job where I thought I had at least six months more to go to get results in. I learned the hard way that, for sales people, employment contracts don’t mean much if your numbers aren’t there.

Dorothy taught me about reframing my experience, which means she showed me how to change the way I looked at something. For the first time in my life, we celebrated my getting fired. As she said, this made space for me to find a better opportunity. And it did, though the new experience wasn’t always an obvious gift. One thing that came out of that event is it gave me empathy with my employees when, in future jobs, I found it necessary to let them go. Not everybody makes a good fit on your team.

So as I reflect back on an exciting and challenging year, I find I have many lessons and blessings to be grateful for.

Most of all, I am grateful for a loving family. Even though many of them are spread out around the United States, the bond of love still connects us.

I’ve come to terms with having Type 2 Diabetes. This has encouraged me to make changes in diet and activity that will result in a healthier lifestyle, like my hour walks four times a week – when I get to listen to podcasts from some really great individuals.

But the blessings go beyond family and my health to friends and business associates. In particular, I want to thank Bob Williams and his team of consultants at CMTC (Dennis Trusty, Paula Bahamón, Jon Trusty, and Ron Wilsbach) for the jobs they subcontracted to me this past year. This work has enabled me to pursue research and product development, especially on Internet marketing and social networking.

I also want to thank the CMTC clients I had the pleasure of helping with sales and marketing. Their challenges enabled me to grow and expand my knowledge as well as to define my thinking on how to train sales people to sell in a way that “Helps Customers Buy.”

I had a great learning experience and made many new friends who share a love for transformational training and coaching at the Master Trainer Camp in May. It’s not often that a business conference becomes truly life changing. As a result of what I learned there, I have made many changes including replacing my primary business name John Aberle Consulting with HelpCustomersBuy.com so to put emphasis on my approach to sales and marketing. Following the camp, DeBorah Beatty helped me refine my “elevator speech.” We also enjoyed several discussions about social networking and Internet marketing. There are so many people that I have special memories of, from speakers to participants. I don’t have room here to thank them all.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving, assuming you are American, focus on your reasons to be thankful. I think you will find that your heart opens, and you feel happier.

So, regardless of what country you live in, Happy Thanksgiving!

John