ComputerHunter.org

 

Internet Marketing Tips from a 10-Year Old?


Can a 10-year-old teach you anything about Internet marketing? Until recently, I didn't think so. But let me tell you what happened...

My 10-year-old son Ben and his sisters wanted to attend a musical theater class. The total price tag? $1,590!

I said they could go, but they'd need to earn the tuition money.

Well, the kids are the published authors of a children's book called 15 Reasons I Love My Dad. It retails for $14.95. Their proposal - go door to door and sell their book until they raised the $1,590.

They decided to give people an incentive to buy the book now by running a 'neighborhood special' and offering it for only $10.00 instead of $14.95. In doing so, they created a reason for people to take action.

Ben wrote the first spiel:

"Hi, I'm Ben and I'm the author of 15 Reasons I Love My Dad, a fill-in-the-blank book that lets children show their dad how much they love him. I'm running a neighborhood special today. You can get the book for only $10 instead of $14.95. Would you like to buy one?"

Ben journeyed out into the world of door to door sales?and sold five books to the first 13 people he talked to. His sales conversion rate? 38%!

Ben wasn't too happy with this. Afterall, eight people didn't buy his book. So, he sat down with his partners to make some changes.

The kids rewrote the spiel. They added a reason why by telling their prospect they were raising money to attend a musical theater camp and they started handing the book to the person as they talked.

The combination of the reason why and putting the book in the hand of the prospect increased their conversion rate. The kids talked to eight people and sold four books. Their conversion rate? An impressive 50%.

But they still weren't satisfied. They wanted more people to buy their book. I tried explaining to them how in the Internet marketing world, I'm happy with a one to two percent conversion rate when I first start out. They looked at me like I was crazy...The thought of knocking on 100 doors and only selling two books did not appeal to them at all!

After some review, they decided that simply asking a person if they wanted to buy a book made it too easy to say no. So, they added a stronger call to action at the end. And, they started going out in groups of two:

"Hi, I'm Ben and I'm the author of 15 Reasons I Love My Dad. (Hand the book to the prospect.) It's a fill-in-the- blank book that lets children show their dad how much they love him."

"And I'm Cassie. We're raising money to take a musical theater class. We're running a neighborhood special today. You can get the book for only $10 instead of $14.95. How many would you like to buy?"

The next time out, they went to eight houses and sold six books. Conversion rate? A whopping 75%!

No one bought more than one book but instead of being told, "No, I'm not interested" most people responded by saying, "Ohhh, I think one is enough..."

Granted, the kids have only sold 15 books and they've got a way to go to reach their goal of selling 159. And, their numbers are too small to conclusively say that each little change was directly responsible for the corresponding increase in sales. But, assuming their results are valid, what Internet marketing tips can you learn from a 10-year- old?

First, set a goal. Know what you want to accomplish.

Second, create a plan for accomplishing your goal. Adding a deadline always helps.

Third, start somewhere and then make changes to improve your sales. They can only get better.

Fourth, give an incentive to take action now - offering a limited time special or a limited number of items for sale creates a sense of urgency.

Fifth, tell your prospects the reason for your offer.

Sixth, have a strong call to action so people know exactly what you want them to do.

And seventh, know your numbers. Make changes designed to improve your conversion rate and then monitor what happens.

And there you go. Real world Internet marketing lessons learned from a 10-year-old.

Cindy Kappler is a successful online marketer. Get her free report, "Case Studies: A Behind the Scenes Look at How the Internet's Top Marketers Create Profit Producing Advertising Campaigns". Click here => Internet Marketing Case Studies







Google News - Top Stories

AFP

Bonds rise on labor woes
CNNMoney.com - 32 minutes ago
Investors seek shelter as unexpected jump in unemployment and job losses signals further economic slump. By Kenneth Musante, CNNMoney.
Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1% New York Times
US Economy: Payrolls Decline, Sending Unemployment to 6.1% Bloomberg
Reuters - MarketWatch - Wall Street Journal - guardian.co.uk
all 672 news articles


ABC News

McCain, Palin Draw Sniping, Support
Washington Post - 1 hour ago
We're officially down to the White House finals now, with two months of sound bites to go. Dan Balz writes that Republican presidential nominee John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov.
Video: McCain: Change Is Coming CBS
iReporters to McCain: More specifics needed CNN
FOXNews - Los Angeles Times - Chicago Tribune - CBS News
all 1,800 news articles


Boston Globe

Hanna Charging Towards Carolina Coast
Washington Post - 30 minutes ago
At 11 am, the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was about 375 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and expected to make landfall along the northern South Carolina coast tonight before tracking north and then northeast toward the Chesapeake ...
Video: Hanna Nears US, but Stronger Ike Looms AssociatedPress
Double Whammy? Residents Prep for Hanna, Ike ABC News
CNN International - Dunn Daily Record - WFMZ-TV Online - AccuWeather.com
all 3,391 news articles


Aljazeera.net

Rice lands in Libya on historic visit
CNN International - 33 minutes ago
Rice will hold a landmark meeting with leader Moammar Gadhafi, once dubbed by President Ronald Reagan as "the mad dog the Middle East.
Video: Inside Story - Rice visits Libya - 03 Sep 08 - Part 1 AlJazeeraEnglish
Rice Arrives in Libya to Meet Gadhafi Wall Street Journal
Aljazeera.net - Bloomberg - The Associated Press - New York Times
all 812 news articles


CTV.ca

Asif Zardari lived in Benazir Bhutto's shadow
BBC News - 2 hours ago
Few in Pakistan doubt that Saturday's presidential election will be won by Asif Zardari, husband of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Pakistan parties begin final push for presidential votes AFP
Pakistan reinstates judges sacked by Musharraf guardian.co.uk
International Herald Tribune - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press - MSNBC
all 1,499 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base