Now making $3067 monthly income from my 30DC skills

[Brotherman]

Thanks again everyone! I feel blessed to have gotten to this point, even if I would love to be making 10 times as much. (Soon enough, though.....)

Another tip:

This stuff is crazy easy to sell. If you get into a conversation with a business owner who is skeptical, just say, "you know, it sounds like this probably isn't for you."

Then just watch what happens. (!) Nearly half my clients are business owners who I told not to hire me. I am not kidding.

Nobody wants to be "convinced" of anything. They want to make their own decision. Don't beat your head against the wall! Just try to help people with free advice over the phone or via email, and then quickly say "not for you" to those who are skeptical. Move on. Some will come back to you, because they trust you now.

The world of small business owners is HUGE and inexhaustable. Plus, how many clients does one dude need? 10? 20?

You can make $100,000 per year with just 20 clients. I know because I'm almost there, and I still have lots of free time and TOTAL autonomy.

[Ondermania]

Thanks for the advice

I totally understand where you're coming from because once you start to understand how the business works, you start to look at the internet differently and can instantly see whether a site you log into is making money or a failure.

This only serves as an advantage to us because it will help us see how the strategies are implemented and will thus help us improve.

Once you're aware of the process and know what you're working towards, it becomes a hell of a lot easier... You'll make mistakes but you'll know why you made the mistake and will be able to correct it the next time

With regards to the networking aspect, it's very very true. I'm starting to experience this for myself after my brother in law found out what i was doing. He is very good at networking and has a huge client list from the TV and film industries, as well as a few famous entrepreneurs who have been involved in television work...

I may be teed up to work with a few of these guys very soon. Fingers crossed, i'll be experiencing similar success ... It definitely is the way to go, if you have yet to find a niche of your own to build...

Lastly, i've also figured out another thing. Building your status and authority is so important. Once people know who you are on the web, it would be so easy to tackle more difficult markets. Think about it, why do you think so many Pro Internet Marketers are so successful? because they all have one thing in common...

Everyone on the internet knows about them, so when they promote a new market or sell a new product, their list will divert over to their new Market and buy instantly thus saving the need to build an entirely new list or gain new traffic from scratch...

This is very similar to the idea of back linking to a top ranking site back to your page or using a currently successful website to promote and divert traffic to the new niche. instead, your name and authority is being used to promote your market. Almost like a brand

Now you've got yourself rolling, do not be afraid to expose yourself on the web and to use your name as a brand, as its the best way to make people trust who you are and to establish a close relationship with you.

Onder,

[Brotherman]

I have been getting lots of questions about how I sell online marketing services to small business owners using 30DC skills. Here are a few FAQ's so far:


QUESTION: How do you charge your clients- per hour, per month, per project, etc...?

SETH: I always charge up front-fees, and I usually charge an up front fee with a monthly fee. (Never hourly. That's suicide.) I have begun to raise my monthly fee, and I will gladly lower my up front fee in order to get a high monthly fee. So far I have continued to raise my prices with each new client, and I haven't hit a ceiling yet.


QUESTION: How many hours per client do you estimate you spend per day/week/month?

SETH: I work a lot, but I also have tons of free time. I love to work, since it's for MY business. LOVE it. I go to the ends of the earth for my clients, because I remember what it's like to have a J.O.B. You know? But it's a great lifestyle. I can work whenever I want, so it's really nice. If I want to lounge around all day, I can. If I want to work like a dog, I can. (But most of my time I spend working on figuring out new ways to land more clients!)


QUESTION: I am assuming you are mainly using the TDC methods with MS, TB, WPD...in this case, how do you set up client accounts...

SETH: Yes, I use them. But I do not send my clients to these tools. They don't want to know how to DO any of this stuff. You don't need to tell them HOW you do it or what tools you use. Just show them where you can get their site to show up. Focus on search volume numbers, and demonstrate why it's important to only target keywords that actually GET TRAFFIC. That is a big misconception. They all think they want to rank for thier business name, you know? Wrong. Focus on the Big 3: 1. Market Research 2. Traffic 3. Conversion.


QUESTION: Do you set up client subscriptions under your account and you include their monthly subscriptions in your rate or do you set them up with independent accounts and then take the affilate commission?

SETH: You already know everything you need to know to help small business owners get new clients online. Don't focus on the tools. Focus on what the client wants. Ask questions and they will tell you exactly what solution to sell them. They don't want to know the details...that's what they pay you for. Focus on asking questions like: "What online marketing systems have you tried in the past?" "How many new customers do you need per month?" "What is your budget?" "What is your timeframe?"

Every time they ask you a question, quickly answer it and ask them another question. When you show them that you are totally focused on them and their needs, THAT'S when the sale is made. Dead serious, it's that easy.

My biggest "Services" I offer are:

1. Pay-Per-Click management (Google Adwords)

2. Organic SEO

3. Google Local optimization.

For some clients, I do all three. I now won't consider a client for less than $500 per month. I hope to soon land a client for $1000 per month.

I have gotten some large up front payments. ($2-3000 per client.) That helped me get on my feet. But the good money is in the high monthly fees. That how you build a good lifestyle where you don't have to worry about closing new clients so often.


QUESTION: Did you set up your own IM business website?

SETH: Yes, but that's so freakin' easy. You don't need much. It's not the primary sales tool. I got a trickle of inquiries from my Google Maps (Local Business Center) listing, but that is not the best way to land clients. Not a necessary step, other than having a presence online.


If anyone else has any more question, fire away!

[funbun]

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but do you go door-to-door, e-mail your prospects, call them on the phone, run some kind of traditional direct mail campaign, or use some combination of the above?

[Brotherman]

Here are some more answers to FAQ's:

WHAT SERVICES TO OFFER

At first, I started by selling "Organic SEO" services. I found a couple of companies who had terrible websites, and I offered to build them a site that would rank better. Then I just used Wordpress, just like the 30DC. (You can scoop up some great themes for cheap at themeforest.net)

I did keyword research, and tried to add pages for as many relevant keywords as possible, then built links 30DC-style.

Note: This actually works really well for LOCAL keywords. Like "Springfield Contractors" or "Virginia Beach Pest Control." Make sense?

So, now I sell Organic SEO services, Adwords Management services, and Website Conversion Optimization services.

It works. The key is to find business owners who already know they are missing the boat on the internet, but don't have a clue as to how to do it themselves.

HOW TO GENERATE LEADS

You have to make direct contact, though. Either face-to-face, or over the phone. Email doesn't work at all. But cold calling does.

I suspect direct mail would work if you compiled a good enough list and wrote a great sales letter, but it costs money. And I'm guessing it would take a couple of test mailers or more before you found something worth pouring real money into. It would be nice not to have to talk to people, but wouldn't you rather generate leads for free?

Back to cold calling:

The VERY FIRST cold call I ever made in my life turned into a sale. (!) That probably won't happen for you, but if you make 100 targeted dials, you WILL make a sale...or you're not being authentic and helpful.

Now, I hate cold calling, but it works in a pinch, and it's FREE. If you can, just go to networking events and use your existing relationship base. But calling works. It really does. Try calling local businesses. Tell them you're "just down the street," you own an online marketing company, and you wondered if they have any questions about how to get new customers using the internet. Every "NO" brings you closer to the next guy who says, "You know what, we are about to redo our website. I'm glad you called. Can we meet this week?"

Seriously. It works.

There are some other people calling these business owners, but they are impersonal, huge, national businesses who are not my direct competitors. My edge is I'm local, I have no overhead, and you deal directly with me. Make sense?

PRICING

In the beginning, for this type of project, I would charge an up-front fee of $1000 to $2500, and then a monthly hosting and maintenance fee of $75 to $100.

Now, after a few of those, I moved up to wanting a higher monthly fee, and I was willing to accept less up front. Now it's a minimum $500 per month fee. See how fast you can build a great income? How many clients do YOU need at $500 per month to live well?

To get a higher monthly fee, I started selling Google Adwords PPC management as a service. Use the 30DC Adwords tutorials to get your feet wet. Then, go through the Adwords Learning Center and watch all the videos.

If you find just ONE good client to manage Adwords for, you can get your Google Adwords Qualified Professional certification. Just pass the test and manage an account over 90 days, and you get to use the Google logo in your marketing materials! It works like gangbusters when you have it. But until then, you can easily get along without it.

So, I target local businesses and charge them anywhere from $500 to $1000 per month to manage their PPC campaigns. And if you set expectations well, you can keep clients on by showing them how you are bringing them TONS of new business. Use your 30DC knowledge about traffic and conversion factors.

The world of small businesses is HUGE. There are other companies doing this stuff, but the market is endless. A guy can carve out a very nice living for himself with only 10 or 20 clients.

The single fastest way to do this is to get an example website set up, get it ranked for a local keyword phrase, and start calling local businesses. Make a list of 100 businesses (at Superpages.com or Manta.com) and sit down and start dialing. Be friendly and helpful, and don't let yourself get discouraged. You will start to get a feel for it after about 10 or 20 calls. A hell of a way to invest just 30 minutes of your time, don't you think?

I like to think to myself, "Boy, I wonder what ornery old goat I'm going to get on the line this time? And I wonder what amusing things he will say." ha ha. It's totally entertaining once you step back and get over the feeling of "rejection" -- which really isn't real rejection. These are people who don't know you, and never would have ended up talking to you anyway, if you hadn't called them. You will find that if you are nice, understanding, and helpful, most people will be glad to chat about it if they have a few minutes to spare.

Good luck!

[jmthomas]

Firstly, Congrats on doing so well.

You say that you are making the money from your 30DC skills which you begun in 2008, I would be curious to know the methods that you are implementing on others sites are they from 30DC (100% or 90% or.... %) or did you move on to 30DC+/Immediate Edge or something else to expand your knowledge and build upon the excellent information in the 30DC - what was the next step? (30DC is great but mainly for testing the market but in the big wide world it is just a bit more than the tip of the iceberg - no offence meant Ed (should you read this) it does what you say it does.)

Also what tools have you found useful?

Just curious!

Thanks

[paulsh]

Seth

How did you go about marketing to small businesses - what was your strategy?

Paul

[Flexo]

Tnx for all this info!!! It's really priceless.

[samdeane]

good work dude,

stories like that keeps us all going as we busy ourselves creating our own extraordinary stories. I too am finding the money is in "selling the shovels" (if u know that story!)

Well done and keep going - its the journey, not the destination!

Sam

[AlexWilson]

Great stuff Seth, and thanks for sharing. Very inspirational.

There was a guy who posted in the Warriors' Forum about doing something similar. I looked for the post but couldn't find it. Basically he taught business owners how to build and profit from client email lists using auto-responders.

For that he charged an establishment fee. But I like your attitude best. The client doesn't want to know how to do it--they just want it done. Better a monthly fee for operating the service ad infinitum and GROW with the client than single fee for establishment.

Perhaps that's something you could add to your arsenal?

Cheers!

Alex