Monday, May 29, 2006

4 Ways to Make Money from People Who Are LEAVING Your Site!

by Alexandria Brown, "The E-zine Queen"

Oh no... are people leaving your site without buying?

Get used to it! In fact, an average of 99% of your first time visitors to your sales pages will leave without buying or even contacting you.

But don't get upset. Get richer!

Use what's called an exit pop. Now, I know pop-ups can be incredibly annoying. But they WORK. Almost all the people I know doing over $1 million each year online use exit pops in strategic ways to seriously boost their bottom lines.

Here are four ways to generate revenue from people leaving your website, using exit pops:

1. Get them on your list.

Because most people will not buy from you at first visit, it's extremely important to have a way to follow up with them. After all, they're already interested in what you have. That's why they're at your site! So these people are worth their weight in gold to you.

But how to follow up? Well, here's where your ezine comes in. Your ezine list is your key to ongoing revenues and generating income on demand.

One of the best places to get people on your list is actually as they're leaving. It's kind of like the "Columbo" strategy of your website. (What did he used to say on the way out the door? Something like, "By the way..." or "Oh, one more thing...")

These exit pops often work BETTER than a pop-up that appears as soon as someone lands on your site. Why? You give the visitor a chance to get to know you first, before you ask them for their email. Let them take a look around, grow to trust you and your website.

One of my exit pops says, "Congrats... Y0u've W0n a FREE Subscription!" It has an eye-catching graphic representing my ezine and gives a raving description of it as well. Also the opt-in form is right in the box, which you always want. Don't make folks have to click around to sign up. If you'd like to see what mine looks like, go to EzineQueen.com. You'll see it when you leave.

From what other marketers are sharing, the "congrats" exit pop is one of the all-time best performing exit pops for building your list.

2. Ask them WHY they're leaving.

Why not find out the reason they're leaving in the first place? For example, one of my exit pops says, "WAIT - Can I ask your advice? Please tell me the biggest reason you're leaving without giving my 'Boost Business With Your Own Ezine' system a try. I'd really appreciate it, and your answer is completely anonymous. Thanks."

I looked for the most popular answers and then made some adjustments to my sales page. For example, several people said, "I don't have a website yet." So I revised my sales copy to include the fact that you don't need a website to get started publishing an ezine.

Knowing this kind of information will help you make a LOT more sales down the line!

There's a great tool that makes doing these exit surveys super easy, and you can see a demo at their site: www.askmyezine.com

3. Offer a down-sell or alternative.

Yep, that's right. Offer me something for less m0ney. After all, I'm leaving anyway, with my wallet! Example: My "Boost Business With Your Own Ezine" system is a physical product, but for several months I tested a down-sell of a lower-priced digital version with fewer bonuses. I also configured the exit pop to appear only if the person had been on my sales page for at least 30 seconds, so I knew they were serious about the product and not just on my page to take a peek.

The tactic did pretty well, making me about an extra thousand bucks a month that otherwise I would not have gotten! That won't make me r1ch, but it sure helps cover my take-out sushi habit. I'll be testing some other down-sells like this one too. (Remember, it's all about trying new things and seeing how they work for YOU. That's what's so fun about Internet marketing!)

4. Send them to someone else's site.

Really! But not just anyone's site. Send them to a site with products or services that are related to yours, AND that will give you commission on any referred sales! That's called an affiliate program, and there are millions of companies doing it on the web. If you don't know of any websites that are related to yours and have an affiliate program, search the two biggest directories: ClickBank and Commission Junction.

Just remember to check out any company before you start sending people there. You don't want to taint your reputation by sending folks to a site with shoddy products or lousy service.

I've made several thousand dollars per month simply by referring my readers and web visitors to other websites. It's just one of my tactics. But some internet marketers even make ALL their revenues with affiliate programs - they don't sell any of their own products! It really works.

Don't Get Blocked!

It's a fact that almost half of all Internet users now have some type of pop-up blocker.

The good news is, whenever a new technology comes out, there's one close behind it that will make it obsolete.

There are several scripts for making pop-up boxes that cannot be blocked. My favorite that I use right now is a service that requires no programming and has dozens of fun designs you can choose and just type in your message -- www.QueenPopups.com

Just remember to please use these tools ethically! Don't drive people crazy with 10 different boxes appearing as they leave.

Choose one, use it strategically, and test, test, test. I promise if you try just ONE of these tactics above, you'll see some extra sales!

© 2005-2006 Alexandria K. Brown



Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," publishes the award-winning 'Straight Shooter Marketing' weekly ezine with 19,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.EzineQueen.com

Sunday, May 28, 2006

7 Steps to Help You Begin Your Home Based Business

It can be very confusing and overwhelming when starting a home business. But, putting it off until tomorrow is not the solution. Procrastination could cost you in the long run. If you follow some simple steps, starting a home base business can be less complicated.

1. SET YOUR GOALS. If you don't know where you want to go, you will never get there. Imagine where you would like your business to be this time next week, next month, even next year. Dream. Now do everything in your power to get there.

2. SET TIME FOR YOUR BUSINESS. You must invest time into any business and this is also true with your home based business. It will not just magically happen. You can not expect a free ride. You must work at it. If you do not have the time to invest in your business, you will not succeed. Set aside ample time each day to really work your business and soon you will begin to reap the rewards.

3. SET YOUR BUDGET. You are the only person that knows how much you can invest in your home based business. Do NOT get carried away in this area. It is very easy to "sign up" for everything you see. Start small if you have to. You do not want to start your home based business with the frustration of added expenses. Be certain you have the resources to cover the expenses you incur. Stay within your budget.

4. BE REALISTIC. In all likelihood you won't become a millionaire over night. Gosh, wouldn't that be wonderful. But you can be pretty certain that won't happen. Don't let this discourage you or make you decide to put off building your business until "tomorrow". It takes time to build any business. The sooner you begin, the sooner you will reach you goal!

5. KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS. Just because you aren't a computer whiz, doesn't mean you aren't capable of learning. There is help available. Search the web. Ask questions. We have found people willing to build web sites for FREE! If you aren't comfortable or unsure of how to do something, by all means ask for assistance.

6. JOIN FORUMS. You will find some very helpful information. Other entrepreneurs, just as yourself, are always eager and willing to help in any way they can. You will find so many friendly, helpful people! Get ideas and advice from some of the best on-line "gurus" in the forums. Don't hesitate to ask your questions. Remember everyone had to start at ground zero.

7. LAUGH AT YOURSELF. It sure beats crying. In all likelihood you will make some BIG mistakes. Laugh about it. You aren't the first and you won't be the last. Learn from your errors. Don't quit. When you do have your successful business, you will also have gained a storehouse of knowledge and advice for the people following after you.What are you waiting for? If others are doing this, you can too! Get started today. Don't wait for tomorrow.

Copyright © 2006 by Hank and Dot Stevens
About the author:
Hank and Dot Stevens enjoy helping other people obtain their dream of financial freedom by working from home. To learn how to duplicate their success visit their website: http://www.work-at-home-4-freedom.com

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Everybody Want to Work from Home

Everybody wants to work from home
and make money on the Internet.
Are you sure? Do you know what
is involved?

The fact is, this isn’t for everyone.
Some people like the daily grind of 9-5.
They enjoy working for someone else,
barely making ends meet. Personally, I think
they’re crazy.

But, there are people who are
concerned about the risk of starting up
their own business. Is it worth the
investment of time and money,
responsibility that comes with running
their own business. Is
another way to escape the rat race.

Sure. You could win the lottery or
inherit millions. Anything can happen... Right?

But I created my own work at home business.
I am in control of my life, the hours I work and the
hours I DON'T work .

Sound good? You bet it is. You can do this, too.

We are here to help.