Marketing: Easy Lifting

One of the bad raps throughout the history of Affiliate Marketing is that it is a family and friends business... make a list of your warm market (your dentist, landscaper and dry cleaner, etc) and then once that warm market "dries up" - then what?

We do not recommend going anywhere near your warm market until you have built a successful business and you have results to share and a story that demonstrates how you got there.

So, if we are advocating cold markets... and not wanting to sift through thousands of people to attract a very low percentage of them, then where do we find an easy, natural market?

The bottom line here is this:  choose something and get going.  Getting into profit as quickly as possible is essential to your business, both as personal motivation, as an example to those you are wanting to attract to your business.  "What you did" becomes a part of your story.  It gives you credibility and moral authority.  A reasonable "first goal" for this business is $500 a month.  If you are applying effort, this should be achievable within your first month.  If you are not there, ask for help.

Here's my list:

1. Business owners.  If you have a well crafted, highly reasoned letter (marketing piece) to share with any main street business owner, telling how they can leverage their existing customer base into another stream of income.  We have one to use as a template.
2. Big Box Retail.  Little business card sized flyers can produce huge results, see HERE
3. Fundraising Organizations.  If we combine social impact and elevating people's lives with the mission of a charitable or worthy cause, people who need to raise money for any number of reasons are a great source of people (organizations) to market to.  You can see a position paper on this topic HERE,
4. Teachers - Many teachers do well, many are maxed out and are looking for a Plan B.  We can help them.
5. Flea Markets.  You can purchase a 10x10 cabana tent for about $100.  With a table and a chair and some home-made marketing materials, you can get belly-to belly with a lot of people and explain what you do.  To set up at a flea market is as low as $10 and as much as $40, but it is always well worth the leads and interest you can generate and have great conversations with people.  As an example of costs (as of 2015), living in RI the biggest flea market in our area is in Raynham, MA.  An outside spot is $10 per day.  An inside spot is $40.
6. Flea Market Vendors - If you go to a flea market, pretty much everyone there is someone using a non-traditional way to make additional income.
7. Craft and Art Shows.  Obviously, these people are in business for themselves.  They are all entrepreneurs.  Having a business card and a high quality "elevator speech" can return great results.  Many of these folks are "artistic" (meaning eccentric and arrogant), but some are down to earth and willing to listen.
8. Neighborhood Marketing.  With a mini flyer, you can walk door-to-door and (masking / painters) tape a 1/4 page (or smaller) flyer to peoples' mail boxes or storm doors,  It is always best to tape to glass to avoid getting called to task for destroying paint.  Been there.  Done that.  No fun.
9. Bulletin Boards and Card Racks - Every grocery store has a bulletin board.  Many businesses have business card posted with a small stack available for people to "take one".
10. Social Media Marketing - Although this get into the "intermediate" skill level, setting up a Facebook business page, understanding Pinterest and Instagram, having a Twitter account... all have a place in your marketing mix.

If none of these "fit", we would need to talk about an alternative.  My experience with getting ghosted on CraigsList, Facebook sharing and posting to groups, and all of the digital / internet marketing methods require the development of additional skills sets, and in my experience are not highly duplicate-able.

Closing  thoughts.  If you were to enroll a Little League - League that ordinarily raises funds through raffles, bake sales and car washes, etc., their natural market is every other Little League - League in the world.  

If you find a business owner, or a flea market vendor, they immediately can create an additional stream of income.

All of this is presupposed by the notion that what we offer is viable and credible -which given the way we market - it is.  The only obstacle is the negative historical inertia of the pyramid and ponzi scheme notions, but can be dealt with constructively.  Dealing constructively with this topic is something that is dealt with in other places in this blog, as well as HERE.

Idiots, Tire Kickers and People Who Waste Your TIme

Provocative title?  If I were to paint the world with a very wide brush and allow my jaded skeptical side to be the paint, I could characterize every person who does not "see it" and join our business this way.

However, for better or for worse, I have come to learn and accept that people not "seeing it" boils down to one of three things;

1. The first is timing.  When your "thing" comes across the awareness of someone who may be potentially interested in your business, it may simply not be the right time in their life.  They may have all the skills and motivation, but due to other things going on in their life, it would simply serve as too much of a distraction to make everything make sense.
2. The second is lack of commitment and discipline.  To make a business work requires time and effort.  Many (most?) people simply do not have what it takes and can not change their lifestyles to the extent that it takes to focus on business building activities.
3. The third is skepticism and having been "burnt" in the past, and an overall notion that referral marketing "doesn't work".  I get it.  But the real question in the overwhelming majority of cases it whether the business didn't work, or the person did not work.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Therefore, I no longer judge people as idiots, tire kickers or people who waste my time.  I take the responsibility of being an educator who needs to explain "why".  If I do not do a compelling job of explaining - and attracting people who understand "why" what I am offering is a great thing to be involved with... I have to look myself in the mirror and ask why that is?