Mark Hultgren   Wordpress Specialist
Hi Cheryl and David,
Here are my questions:

Does it make sense to join multiple affiliate programs?

Or should one focus on just one program at a time?

How many ads should you have on your Blog regarding products and Aff. programs?

How often should you email your list?

Those should be a start to get folks thinking about others :-)
Nov 3rd 2007 08:21   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
I know you already have few years of experience online... so, for a beginner that just started to look online and is scared or overwhelmed by too many offers, what business would you recommend him/her to join?
Nov 3rd 2007 09:37   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Hi Cheryl, Mark and Teo,

Let's begin shall we. First off to your topics Mark.

Today I believe we need Multiple sources of income however I strongly suggest
to start off with one program at a time. Build it and the if you really want to, go out
and find another one. I believe that if you do decide to go into more than one affiliate
program, not more than three. Remember, you still need to support the other programs
in a professional manner. If you don't, you will lose all.

The amount of ads you have in your blogs is really a matter of size of banners,
type of ads etc... and of course how long you blog is. In Apsense blogs I try not to put too
many ads because of the layout here. Ads are good anywhere as long as it does not
clutter your blog and make it diturbing to read your article/s.

As far as emailing your list goes. There is no real law as to how often you should mail.
If you are talking about a Newsletter, it should be published weekly (something need to
start again). To email weekly, your subscribers will not be annoyed by you and you will not
be stuck down to your keyboard all hours of the day, every day writing your content.

Teo, you are quite right, so many opportunities out there it can make you dizzy.
First you need to find a business that appeals to you. Not only the business
opportunity, the product as well. I have always been one for product and then
the compensation or payment plan. If the product does not appeal to me, I will
not be part of it. A lot of folks join, join, join and never make it, not only because
they lack experience or knowledge. They lack a passion for the product they are
trying to sell, so they cannot sell the opportunity. Unfortunately, today, people
have forgotten how to build relationships and that is the downfall of many.

I have an English Language school, so the first product I looked for was something
I could use with my school, which fortunately, I found.

I hope I have answered in a way you expected of me. Thanks
Nov 4th 2007 15:16   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
Thanks for the answer, of course I'm very satisfied with it, and I asked this question for beginners, hopping they will learn something from here...
Nov 5th 2007 01:09   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Hi all,

I am off to a meeting now and hope to see some more questions when I get back.

Have a great and successful Monday and week.
Nov 5th 2007 01:34   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
How do you handle all those activities and jobs that have to be done for managing a company online?

To mention just a few Online business manager's activities:

Webmaster and information technology activities
Finance and administration
Community outreach, social networking
Home office services
Accounting
Human resources
Legal department
Training courses
Membership services department
Public information/communications
- develop web site and blog content
- develop & distribute media releases
- distribute foresight each week to subscribers
- attend weekly meetings online to discuss update and improve website and blog
Maintenance
Other

Nov 5th 2007 03:21   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Well Teodor,

That all depends on how large your business is and how large you would like it to be.
You can start off on your own if you have enough knowledge. In general I always let
the professionals do their job and that opens up more time for me to do whatever I
am best at. That would be the ideal way to run any business. Reality is though, that
in order to practice that you need financial backing to start up. Remember, every one
needs income so you would have to pay for their services. Another way of doing it would
be to have a partnership with a few professionals and then once the business is up and
making money you split the profits.
Today there are also a lot of automated systems for you to use in running your business
which helps take the workload off and save on staff as well.
This is a very general answer to your query however, each business is individual and we
need to take into account what the actual product or service is. For some you don't need
all mentioned in your query.


Nov 5th 2007 04:33   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
I like this very much:
"...partnership with a few professionals and then once the business is up and
making money you split the profits."
Nov 5th 2007 05:13   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
Yes, I'm ok with general answer, because business online is very general, as it off line also...
Well, let say that you answer my question to a very speciffic business you already run and have some results with it... Maybe the one that uses already automation, so many duties are already took over, and marketer needs less time to spend on his business. Thanks.
Nov 5th 2007 05:16   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Yes, partnership is good provided you find the right professionals for each
specific task.

Quite right, Once you have things automated then you have time to re-assess
yourself and either stay where you are or move onto another level. If you keep
growing you will obviously need staff , partners or both.

Nov 5th 2007 05:21   

Mark Hultgren   Wordpress Specialist
Hi David,
Some great answers! The partnership idea is probably the best way to go once you have built a business to the point that you can't do it alone. I was lucky enough to find a partner that complemented my abilities. I have a head for scripts and programming while my partner is more in touch with SEO and Copywriting.
As for the automation, if you look back through some of my previous comments on other topics, I am a strong supporter of automation. If I can find (or build) a script or software to save me time (and therefore money) then I will first look at the investment I would have to put into it. If the $$$$ that I have to pay out doesn't bring me a return that I feel pays for the package, I won't get it. However, you have to look at the Big picture at the same time. In the case of JV Manager 2 (the script that I use for 2getsales) that handles my affiliates, products, sales and thank you pages, promotions, and even email management. What would a package that can handle all of that be worth?
I figure my time is worth $50 per hour minimum, so if a package can save me an hour a day and I will probably use it everyday, that package would be worth $50 x 25 days a month or $1250.00. That is assuming a 30 day break even. Now, you really need to look at what your budget can handle before you go out and start buying everything under the sun, start small so you don't get into trouble or cause hardship on yourself or family. I have heard many a horror story how someone jumped in and bought everything they could get their hands on but couldn't make a single sale!
Nov 5th 2007 05:45   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Quite right Mark,

I mentioned earlier in between the line that it is a good idea to
start off small and build your self up. I am not as fortunate as you
when it comes to programming and scripts, I am more like your partner.
I do however know what I am looking for and know what I need. So, the
scripts and programs I buy are specifically according to my needs in
order to make my life easier. I do have a small staff just to take the workload
off because I run an offline business as well.
I would like to emphasize your comment on the guys who get so excited, buy
everything they see and then are left with no income, a ton of debts and at times
without a family.
It all boils down to the basic Business Plan/Profile.
Nov 5th 2007 05:57   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
Now, for both, David and Mark:

Can we resume and write down here the minimum requirements that any Internet business beginner should be aware about?

Those which apply to any business... The basic, "sine qua non" or MUST conditions to fulfill by any online business beginner.
Nov 5th 2007 06:18   

Mark Hultgren   Wordpress Specialist
Hi Coach,
from my point of view, I would have to say HITTS.

Honesty
Integrity
Trust
Traffic
Support

Having a product or service that you believe in is another one, but it doesn't fit in the word :-)

Nov 5th 2007 06:26   

David Dubb   ESL Coach + InternetWork Marketer
Hi Coach,

I have nothing to add there at this point.

Integrity covers a lot and I would add Loyalty as well.

However without a Vision or a Mission you won't get anywhere.
Nov 5th 2007 06:32   

Mark Hultgren   Wordpress Specialist
I agree David,
You have to have a Vision along with a Business Plan. Where do you want to be in five years, ten?
Now that you know where, HOW do you plan to get there? A Business plan is NOT set in stone, it should be reviewed and possibly (More probably really) revised at regular intervals. IM is growing and changing in leaps and bounds, so if you don't look at the changes that are happening, you could be setting yourself up for a fall.
A case in point, when I first started IM, you could send out an email blast to your list and feel really confident that 95% of your emails would get delivered and around 60% would actually get opened and read. Now, with all the email blasters and SPAM filters and Mailwasher software packages available, you are probably looking closer to 50-60% delivery and around 5-10% open rates.
marketers that are still using email as their primary promotion tool, are getting further and further behind (and not making near as many sales!)
Nov 5th 2007 06:47   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
Excellent! I'll only add to this that to your vision you have to add a GOOD business plan, and here someone with experience can help. Otherwise, you may build plans that are not realistic and never able to fulfill.

You see, when I started to explore the cyberspace, about 6 years back, no guru will do what we do today. They wont reveal a word about this 'secret' things... Now, beginners just have to read, listen and apply and they can be in business very fast.
Nov 5th 2007 07:18   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
What I wanted to say in my previous comment is that life is much easier with this social networking and blogging new marketing strategies, and without gurus among us ;-)
Nov 5th 2007 07:22   

Cheryl Baumgartner   Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Hi David, I know a lot of folks here at APSense are strictly online marketers. How about some advice for those of us who have offline businesses. I'm one of those whose business is mainly offline, but I use the internet to expand my contacts and make contacts.
Nov 5th 2007 07:40   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
I'm an offliner too. State your question about off line biz Cheryl, please...
Nov 5th 2007 07:46