The 60 second business: scam or spam?

By on May 17, 2012

business in a box have recently been promoting their , a 60 second .

Yes, the claim is that within 60 seconds you can have your own customized . But is this really possible?

I have seen and tried many other products that have made similar claims. So far none have lived up to the promises.

So is this just another spam building system, or simply a scam? And is a 60 second business even possible?

Fair questions indeed.

First I would like to share this quote with you:

“Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of ,
manufacturing… layout, processes, and procedures.”
- Tom Peters

Some key concepts here are simplification, design, layout and processes.

What if using technology it was possible to enhance the currents systems and procedures to improve quality and reduce time? After all this has been done in every other industry. Why not ?

So far all attempts I have seen to do this fall short. So what about FusionBox?

Well FusionBoxes come in two forms. Business templates and complete business in a boxes.

The first is not really a business ready to go, but a complete business template that requires you to add your own products and sales copy. This alone though has huge advantages.

It can save a lot of time, headache and setup costs. But it’s not really a ‘ready to go business’ in 60 seconds.

The model however is.

There is nothing missing it seams. From a , sales copy, product to sell, membership areas, autoresponder sequences, graphics, affiliate backend and all of the tech stuff configured and setup for you. Literally the entire business is ready to start making money in approximately one minute.

You will not become a millionaire from owning one of these businesses. That should be clear. But you can make money, and it provides an excelent starting point for any beginner. What makes it better is the ability to fully customize any part of the business.

So how is this possible?

Unlike previous attempts FusionBoxes rely on the technology that drives FusionHQ. FusionHQ itself is a complete platform, so it is one of the only technologies available that would allow a total setup of an entire business within one system.

“With technology what people think is
impossible often becomes inevitable”

For more information see for yourself at www.MyFusionBox.com or www.FusionHQ.com.

How can an ebooks sell for more than a physical book?

By on May 15, 2012

ebookFor a long time people were skeptical you could sell an at all. Now we know it is often possible to sell an for more than a physical .

How is this possible?

After all, everyone knows a physical book cost money to setup, print and ship (even if it is only to the actual bookstore itself). A physical book even cost money to store as it takes up real space. Technically a physical book even has a limited number of copies.

Yet ebooks can often sell for more despite often having less actual content in them, being poorly edited and being virtually free to store, reproduce and deliver.

The reason is simple. And is has everything to do with the method of selling.

You see in a book store there is many books fighting for your attention. Each one usually has only the spine to grab you, and at best the front and back covers to sell you.

Some people have said it is because customers want fast delivery and are impatient. And it is true that instant gratification plays a part. However there is much more to it than that.

This phenomenon of digital costing more than physical I have only seen occur with ‘How to’ books. Software usually charges a small premium for a physical version to be shipped to yo. Music and film typically sell for less. And fiction books I have never seen sell at a higher price in a digital format.

This means that the instant delivery can not account for too much.

So, the search continues…

With ebooks the potential customer has usually found themselves faced with a dedicated to this one book. And they have usually found themselves there because of a careful lead generation process that has ensured they are a targeted prospect.

It becomes very hard to sell an ebook for more than a physical book if there is a physical version. Often in this case the ebook will sell for less than its physical counterpart. So this gives us another clue…

The sales letter must promise information that will lead to some benefit that the consumer will not find elsewhere. If someone is really keen to learn something and the solution lies but a few dollars and a couple of clicks away, chances are they will take it.

And I believe this is 80% of the reason people will pay more. The simple promise of finding a solution to something they cant find (or are too lazy to find) else where.

To further increase sales then the power of scarcity is bought into play. This needs to be done in the right way of course.

I have seen sales pages that say ‘limited copies’ – for a !

One time offers (OTOs) work well as they can package other bonuses or discounts in for buying NOW. We will cover this in much more detail in another post.

This same principle can of course be applied to all digital media. Software, audios and courses all benefit from this method of selling.

So to summarize… If you want to sell digital products:

  1. Focus on a targeted audience
  2. Promise and ensure instant delivery
  3. Make sure it is not available in a physical format if you want to get maximum price for the digital version
  4. Sell the benefits the information will provide them
  5. Use some form of scarcity (such as a good offer) to increase

Embracing the stress (and 5 simple solutions to transforming stress)

By on May 13, 2012

coping with stressAs explained in a previous post, I believe that challenges will come on any journey of significance. Indeed if they did not the masses would pour down those paths making them crowded and they would become routes with less reward.

Challenges bring with them stress. This is natural yet many try to avoid the stress, or think it is a sign they have made a wrong decision.

When a tree grows it requires the stress of the wind to make it grow strong. No wind and the tree grows weak.

is not the solution. Learning to understand and work with it is.

It is all too easy to allow stress to accumulate, build and become ovwhelming. This is dangerous for our physical health, the health of our personal relasionships and the quality of our descisions.

Yet stress in business is simply a matter of perspective. Often in retrospect many stressful situations can have a positive outcome, or if managed well can be the catalyst required to take necesary action.

So how then do we deal with stress as it occurs?

Here are 5 simple solutions to not only cope with stress, but to embrace it.

1) See . This is about shifiting your entire perspective on what you do. If you play a game with you will know that it is not always easy. It is full of ups and downs, and sometimes blood, sweat and tears. But ultimatley you do it because you love it.

It is a matter of finding the balance between taking the game seriously enough to play it to the best of your ability, to live and breathe it, to spend your spare time learning more, and not taking it so seriously as to believe that the outcome of any individual game is life and death, or a reflection of you personally.

Seeing business as a game that you will not win every round, and that is something you are CHOOSING to play helps relive the pressure more than you may think.

2) Meditate. Do not underestimate this simple step. I once saw Michael Hill talk at a business seminar. Michael is one of New Zealands most men, and when asked for his number one tip to be successful he replied learn to meditate.

Not learn accounting or go to business school. Meditate.

Just 20 minutes each day will help you relax more, cope with stress better and make better business decisions. Too many people claim (in the past myself included) that they don’t have time. I can assure you that when you meditate the time you do work will become far more productive and easily offset the time spent meditating.

3) Aceppt making mistakes is inevitable.

If you are not making mistakes you are not taking action.

Another way to put this is:

‘if you are not making mistakes you are not making money’

No one gets it right every time. No one. So don’t be hard on yourself. Making a mistake means you did something.

The trick is to learn from your mistakes and try again. When you make it OK for yourself to make mistakes you relieve a lot of the stress and pressure from yourself to get it right every time.

This acceptance is a type of Tai Chi for the mind. Redirect the energy of stress from attacking you to attack the problem and trying again.

4) Eat well. Not rocket science, but so few people do.

Stress burns a lot of essential nutrients. Knowing this and eating well to support this process will help you better cope and even thrive in times of stress.

Good preparation is better than a good cure.

Eat fresh fruit and vegetables, minimize or eliminate refined carbohydrates (including sugar), limit the amount of coffee you drink and supplement with power foods such as bee pollen.

This will give you both physical and mental strength to keep going through challenging periods when others would give up.

5) Excercise. Another of my key inspirations in business, Sir Richard Branson, gave his top advice to business owners – excericse regulary.

Again he did not say go to Harvard, get an MBA or any other such typical advice.

Excerise helps release endorphins that can make you feel more positive, circulate nutrients and oxygen to the brain helping improve the quality of your thinking and is a channel for relieving any excess stress.

It is not so important what excerise you do, so long as you do something.

That’s it. 5 simple things anyone can do to better deal with stress. But as with any advice you will only see results if you put it into action.

Don’t believe me, try it for yourself and see the difference. Test it out for just 10 days and I am sure you will start to feel a real difference.

 

Becareful what you read (in to it)

By on May 10, 2012

video statsI am constantly getting people tell me about various .

X number of people watch X number of minutes per day, such and such a percentage of all bandwidth is now video and most recently that more people watch shorter video until then end (therefore you should make shorter videos).

In each case they are trying to prove a point. Yet is every case the data does not prove their point, only supports it. A very critical difference.

Lets take each of these examples.

If more people are watching more video everyday, does that mean we should be using video? Maybe, but not certainly.

It does not tell us why they are watching it, or how they interact with it. As a marketer it is interesting to know that people have the capability of watching video, and are prepared to do so.

Now we already know video can help increase and generate leads, but this is from different testing data. Not the statistics quoted to me.

Take the next example, percentage of bandwidth. Given that video is so heavy on bandwidth this is no surprise. Also given the increasing size of the video now possible to stream, and the rise of online movie services offering HD streaming, one movie is the equivalent to thousands of text pages.

So again, this really does not prove anything. We don’t even know if the video is educational or related. In fact we can make an educated guess most are just movies or ‘my kid blew his nose on the dog’ or ‘I cant sing but I’m fat so its really funny watching me make an idiot of myself trying’ type of videos.

The last is the most worrying though. It claims that almost twice the number of people will watch a video if it is under 1 minute than if it is 2 minutes long. And compare that to the number of people that will watch a video to the end for an hour or more…

This would have you believe that shorter video is better. This is like saying short copy is better than long copy. But the really this tells us nothing.

It is almost obvious people will watch shorter videos. But again most of these are ‘uncle Albert dropping an egg bomb at a formal dinner’ type of videos. The give us no real idea of leads generated or new customers gained (the real data we want as owners).

I will take a 40% drop off in people watching my vids for a 200% increase in sales any day.

Just as with short versus long copy the real question is ‘how short can I make it while covering everything I need to get the maximum number of sales or the point that I want to make communicated effectively.

The bottom line is – just be careful what you read into data that is presented in a way designed to prove a point. I find that many marketers actually don’t think deeply enough about their evidence.

It may be interesting, it may provide useful information to test new ideas but on its own it rarely proves anything.

The seed of speed

By on May 8, 2012

time-is-moneyAs mentioned in a previous post  about (Do you have an MVP) in the modern world speed is of the essence.

This is especially true in the information and software service based industries which are changing and releasing at ever rapid rates.

Even from a very simplistic perspective of ‘how can I make more money faster?’ speed is obviously a critical factor.

The faster you can get your product to market, and the faster you can repeat the product creation and launch cycle, the faster you can build and scale your business. That is if you don’t take short cuts that lead to project failure of course.

Not every project will be a . Indeed, a former CEO of IBM once said the for was ‘to increase your failure rate’.

This quick turn around period that is the essence of an MVP gives you this ability to speed your learning curve as well as to launch quicker.

There are a few simple things you can do to help you achieve this.

1) Don’t be a perfectionist (easier said than done for many entrepreneurs)

2) Use a team, or become part of a team. Together Everyone Achieves More. Once again this is something I hear people complaining they can not afford a team. Get creative, find different ways to partner with people. You can not afford not to have a team. (and trying to hold on to a 100% of the will only leave you with less in the long run)

3) Create systems. Boring I know. But systematization is the key to any . Just ask McDonald’s, SubWay or Toyota. Good systems help reduce cost and increase efficiency (make things faster).

4) Don’t re-invent the wheel. If something already exists that you can use that will get the job done, then use it. For example templates already exist, and in most cases are going to do as well as anything you may try to get custom made. Images for sales pages can be bought for a couple dollars from somewhere like iStockPhoto, there is no need to go and take the photos yourself.

In information and affiliate there are many things you can do to increase the speed to launch, and to scale your business faster.

To give you some ideas of what you can do I have listed just a few of the things we have done inside of to assist in this process:

  • Business Templates. These are entire business structures installed for you in just 60 seconds. This includes the affiliate tracking integration, sales funnels layout and configuration, site template, mail list setup, optin form configuration, hosting configuration and even the layout of the content. (All you do is enter the new images and sales copy.)
  • 1 Click Site Replication. Already have an existing sales funnel or site you could modify? Click duplicate and choose the new domain/URL for the new site. Make the changes you want and click upload. An amazing time saver.
  • Affiliate Integration. By having an affiliate system fully integrated into the business platform not only saves any coding or setup time but has the added benefit of reducing customer support time. On previous projects we would need to process a refund in the merchant account, the membership site script and the affiliate system. Now even if a customer cancels direct with PayPal everything else is taken care of automatically.
  • Drag and Drop Sales Page Builder. I am a copy writer, not a programmer. Creating sales copy was time consuming because using DreamWeaver was a nightmare to get the copy to look how I needed it to. Now I can just drag and drop the different page elements around on the page and the system automatically codes it for me.
  • 1 Click Upload. Press a button and all changes are sent direct to the server. No manually uploading files.

By removing the need for programmers, creating pre designed templates (for site , page layout and for business structures) and be making everything push button or drag and drop we have massively improved the systems in our information and businesses.

What took 4 weeks now can take us 1 minute – literally.

This may sound unbelievable, but really it is inevitable. Think of any industry – as it develops it creates better systems to increase efficiency.

Make sure you are not left ‘ploughing the fields by hand’. Structure your business intelligently.

 

Passion vs Profit (and the 3 myths to wealth creation)

By on May 6, 2012

passion-vs-profitDo you do what you love and the money will come?

If you listen to many self help gurus they will certainly tell you this. Certainly in some cases it is true, however I’m not so sure this is right for everyone.

That said I do not believe you should chase the money either.

Both arguments have pro’s and cons, but I think the answer may be more a hybrid of both schools of thought.

I think the first thing you need to identify is what your goal is. If it is to make a multi-million dollar company and challenge yourself and your industry on a daily basis your strategy will be quite different to a goal of having a financially ‘OK’ life, stress free focusing on your relaxing and enjoying life.

I don’t believe either choice is right or wrong, and of course there are many who fall somewhere in between. However for the purpose of this post we will assume you are looking to make some serious cash.

The first I wish to dispel is that you can sit back and watch the money flow to you if all you do is choose the right strategy. I have yet to see this happen (again I am sure there are exceptions, but the are exceptions and not the norm).

The second myth (perhaps more a common false belief I find in many students) is that if you focus on what you love it will be easy and always fun.

The third myth is that you can outsource everything and do virtually nothing while the builds itself. Again, never seen it happen. Long term this is the objective, but in the early days be prepared to get your hands dirty, and to put in hours longer than anyone else on your team.

So back to the vs question…

I think that you need to be passionate about what you do. An you should believe in the purpose of whatever project you are involved with. It is this passion that will allow you to work 16hrs a day when needed, and this passion that will carry you through the challenges and setbacks every new business experiences in its startup phase.

However you should also be sure that you are not focusing on your passion if there is no potential for profit, or you have no skill in this area.

For example I am passionate about music. But I have no skill in this area whatsoever. There is potential for profit, and in theory I could create a music company, but as a musician it would be a total disaster.

There is a danger for people to mistake their passion for hobbies as a potential for business. Someone who like baking may be encouraged to open a bakery, only to find he or she hates the reality of trying to monetize this passion.

There are many methods to wealth creation. Gurus in each avenue will tout their methods as being the best. Truth is if you plan to use business (online or offline) as your vehicle to creating wealth you need to become passionate about business itself.

That does not mean you have to do everything yourself (for example accounting, legal stuff, programming, office management etc are way outside my skill sets, and difficult for be to be passionate about).

Gurus like to sell simple ideas that appeal to us. It’s what makes an easy sale and makes for simple communication. Just be aware that they are often over simplifications designed for the purpose of more than they are actual truths.

If you are starting a business understand that very few things are so black and white.

Perhaps we need a new word to describe what is required. Profassion. A blend of profit, passion and a little profanity.

Prepare for passion. Prepare for profit. Prepare for profanity during perspiration.

Do you have an MVP? (and the benefits to having one)

By on May 4, 2012

The Lean StartupMy latest read, ‘The Lean Startup’ by Eric Ries discusses an aspect of many new (and established) businesses get very wrong.

I have seen so many people fail online simply because they are ‘never ready’.

The truth is that you can always improve a product or service. The problem is you may not always know which is the most important areas to improve.

The Minimum Viable Product () solves this dilemma.

By releasing the most basic functionality, or minimum amount of service, you can get to market faster. This has several benefits.

1) You can test you basic product on real customers. That means instead of guessing want they want you can learn what they want. (often product owners are wrong on this point)

2) You don’t waste more time, money or resources than you have to. My listening to actual users you can modify your as needed, rather that finding you wasted time on features customers never wanted.

3) You can start making money quicker. This is a big one, especially for . You want cash flow, and fast. You can’t make money if you have not released yet.

4) You have a better chance of outside investment if you can show there are customers actually buying. If you prove people love your idea, and are willing to put money where their mouth is, then investors will be more interested.

5) You can grow steadily. This point should not be taken lightly. Rapid growth can cause the death of a company as easily as no growth. If your product, production processes or customer support has not been tested well, then fast growth can cause collapse. Using an MVP allows you to refine all aspects of your systems as you grow, giving a stronger foundation for your product or company to survive then thrive.

On the opposite end of this I also see many products released early, marketed hard and then abandoned. This is sad for the potential of that product, and for the customers who bought it.

If you want to building something long term and sustainable start with an MVP, then improve and re-release regularly.

How To Record Good Audio

By on May 1, 2012

recording good audioThere has been a lot written about selecting a good mic. These days there are many good quality, affordable .

If you are recording direct to PC or Notebook you are best to use a USB mic. Check out the Yeti by Blue as one respectable option. For simplicity consider a high end headset from Logitech (though these are not as good they are a bit cheaper and more portable).

Having a quiet room to record in goes without saying. However, it is the room acoustics I wish to talk about in this post.

Have a room that is too empty can give the room a ‘hollow’ sound.Even a good mic will sound like a bad recording in this type of environment.

Think of an empty house and how your voice sounds inside it. You know once you move the furniture in, put rugs down and drapes up everything sounds normal again. Your recordings will amplify this effect. (and ironically the better the mic the more this is enhanced)

A simple solution is to pad the area directly behind, and below the mic with large pillows. Ensure the floor is carpeted, or has some type of rug on it in the area you and the mic are positioned.

Having paintings on the walls, curtains drawn and heavy furniture in the room can all help ‘warm’ the sound.

The location of the mic is also important. Depending what type of mic you have will depend on the best position, so see the manufacturers guidelines.

However a general tip is to make sure it is quite close (but not too close). Usually a minimum of a few inches from your mouth to a maximum of about 12 inches or so. This makes you sound closer to you audience, and less like you are standing at the back of the room. It also helps keep record levels high without introducing too many background sounds or unwanted hiss.

Talk across the mic rather than directly into it. This will help certain letters like S and P creating ‘clicks’ and ‘pops’.

There are of course many more aspects to recording a good , but these few basic guidelines will make a huge difference in your . This is true regardless of weather you are doing a , audio product or .

Audio is one of the most unrated aspects to creating a quality product, or professional impression. It is also one of the easiest things to get right with just a little knowledge and practice.

Good luck…

 

 

Geoff Moores pattern applied to FusionHQ

By on April 29, 2012

I thought I would have a go at refining our based on the described in the previous post (if you have not read that please do before reading this).

Turned into more of a short novel though :-D However it can still be read in under 50 seconds.

Here it is:

 

Fusion HQ is for both new and experienced internet marketers who are dissatisfied with the current options for creating sites and running their online .

offers something new. A fully integrated solution that enables you to create a complete online business structure, including all the tech stuff taken care of in just 60 seconds.

A drag and drop interface enables complete customization and editing without the need for expensive programmers.

Unlike alternative options not only do you save time and money, you also maintain total control without compromising flexibility.

Key features include drag and drop sales funnels, drip feed membership sites, SEO content sites, autoresponder system, affiliate tracking, 1 click split testing, business templates and even ready to go’ business in a boxes’ to get you started.

Designed by marketers. Built by programmers. Used by you.

Geoff Moore’s ‘Idea Introduction Pattern’

By on April 29, 2012

pitch-anythingHave been reading a new take on selling in a called ‘Pitch Anything‘ (thanks for the recommendation ).

In it is a very nice for introducing idea. This was developed by venture capitalist back in 1999.

The formula itself can be applied introducing any new idea, product or service (just adjust the wording as required).

The purpose of the the idea is to communicate a concept in under 60 seconds, and in a way that will be understood by a new audience.

Here it is:

” For [target customers] who are dissatisfied with [the current offering in the market]. My idea/product is a [new idea or product category] that provides [key problem/solution features]. Unlike [the competing product] my idea/product is [describe key features].”

For the purposes of I would have to update the formula to focus on benefits, not just features, but you get the idea.

This is a great framework to use for a marketing , or even introduction, as it enables you to deliver a lot of information in short amount of time (or space).

Try it out for your own products or services and see what you think.

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