What Do YOU Need? Feb 2007
Hello and welcome to the February 2007 edition of the APD Marketing newsletter. With Christmas now a distant memory and the new-year “commitment to change” also fading just a rapidly, I thought I’d ask for a bit of help this month. OK, I know I need to incentivise you to help me but more of that later…
But first (as always), I have a question for you.
I know you are interested in starting your own business. You wouldn’t have
subscribed to my “business start-up course” if you weren’t. Ha, got you on that one haven’t I?
But seriously, I have a question that’s been bugging me over the last 6 or 7
weeks. And it’s this…
What Do YOU Need To Be Successful?
I seriously doubt if anyone has ever asked you that before. And…I couldn’t be more serious. This is why.
You see, in November I launched my “Instant OnLine Riches” kit (note March 2009, product now withdrawn). You’ve seen the website. The kit is a basic intro into the world of Internet Marketing and it also has things like an HTML web page (WYSIWYG) generator, and access to myself (and my network) for consultancy via email, so, an ideal kit to get you up and running…Or so I thought.
Time to be brutally honest, sales have been nowhere near as good as I expected.
I have to admit to being surprised, especially as I was using a general business start up course to try and “persuade” you guys into buying. So, you obviously want to start a business, online has to be the place to be (or does it?) and I have an online start up kit, but…It hasn’t sold awfully well.
I expected it to be an out and out winner, but it wasn’t.
So, having thought about it, it became clear that is not what the market wanted. Yes, I know it shouldn’t really have taken me six weeks to realise that, but… I was just so surprised. I suppose, as I said last month, nothing should surprise us in this business, but there you go. I’ll take it on the chin (can’t do anything else really)!
But, in view of what I’ve found, I just have to ask you, what it is you really need to be successful in your business? What areas of your business are giving you trouble?
What barriers are you finding it difficult to break through?
This got me thinking back to when I first started.
To give you an example, I’m not brilliant with technical things. It takes me a long time to understand these things. So, when I started I needed to learn things slowly in point and click detail. So, for example, would a point and click guide on how to develop a Frontpage website help you?
Google Adwords is a real labyrinth to try and work your way through when you first start. Would an in depth guide help you become more efficient and build sales in your business?
Search Engine Optimisation is an absolute minefield with very few guarantees of success, is this holding you back?
Going back to my early days, I know one thing that I had huge trouble with was finding the right copywriter. It slowed me down by three or four months as I remember. I have an idea that this may be an area of concern. Is this you?
As it happens, I’m in the process of putting together a really comprehensive package of copywriting products. Part of the deal will be a critique of two of your sales letters by my copywriter business parter Alison. Would this be of use to you?
So, just what is it that’s holding you back? What information or help do you NEED to move your business on to the next stage?
I mentioned at the start of the newsletter I’d incentivise you to help me here, so, for every reply I receive (no matter how insulting), I’ll send you a free eBook as my way of saying thank-you for taking the trouble to respond. A fair exchange I hope. I’m not sure what eBook it will be just yet, but I’ll get something good out of my files, promise!
Now, I was hoping to be able to announce the launch of the new (soon to be open) APD Marketing information portal this month, but…alas, those technical bugs have bitten again!
Basically, it will be a website where you can go and find out what we’re up to at APD. There will be some free stuff for you to download and you’ll be able to get any back copies of the monthly newsletter you want. I’ll put the business start up course up as well, just in case you lost a lesson or two along the way! Please feel free to refer a friend once it’s up and running.
So far in the free stuff is planned to contain a copy of Napoleon Hills brilliant “Think and Grow Rich” and an eBay Profits eBook. I’ll be adding more as we go along.
As soon as I’ve got the technical issues sorted, I’ll drop a mail out to you so you can go and have a look. It should only be a week or so…I hope.
That’s it for this month, a little shorter than usual, but I’m sure Ill make up for it next month! I’ll say goodbye until the next time.
Cheers now, and have fun….
Derek
Derek Armson
APD Marketing Ltd
derek@apd-marketing.co.uk
www.apd-marketing.co.uk