1. Build a mailing list of customers and potential customers. Do you ask for contact information on your website when people sign up for a newsletter or free product? Do you ask for contact info from people who contact you for information? Do you ask for contact info from people who attend your seminars or teleclasses? Do you encourage referrals from existing clients?
You don’t have to manage your list yourself, manually, although that is possible via email programs and online forums such as Yahoo Groups (free). You can use online services such as http://www.1shoppingcart.com and http://www.shoppingcartforcoaches.com, and http://www.constantcontact.com – all services that help you manage your client databases and also provide other services.
It is cheaper, easier and quicker to sell to an existing database of interested customers than have to continually seek out new customers.
2. Establish a newsletter – this can be an online ezine or a paper newsletter mailed. Of course, the online ezine is much cheaper to employ. A newsletter provides valuable information for your existing and potential clients, and establishes you as the expert. It also makes it easier to sell your valuable products and services. You can send a newsletter from your own email program until your database grows and as with any other database, you can find free as well as paid for services. You can send a newsletter via Yahoo Groups, www.1shoppingcart.com, www.topica.com, www.constantcontact.com and various other professional newsletter service providers.
3. Promote yourself! A press release that promotes you, your service or product is worth its weight in paid advertising, whether it be on line, in print, on radio or TV. It gives you and your product instant credibility, and with that comes new customers willing to trust you and give you a try. You can use a paid service, such as www.prweb.com or you can list your press releases on various free sites yourself. Another way to promote yourself is by writing articles, which can be distributed on many free sites providing another source of credibility. Make sure you also upload some of your articles on www.ideamarketers.com which will enable others to use your articles in their own newsletters – you won’t get paid, but you will get a load of free publicity!
4. Another way to earn extra income is to hold seminars and teleclasses. Record them so you can sell the recording. If you have valuable information, people will pay for it. You don’t have to use expensive paid for services – services such as www.nocostconference.com will provide you with a teleclass number and record it for free. You can take registrations manually but it is easier to use a service such as http://www.shoppingcart.com which will handle payments, etc. (Yes, this is the same service that handles your database, your newsletter, autoresponders, etc.)
5. Make sure your website is user friendly and access to your products and services and ways to pay are user friendly. Promote your products and the direct URL to your shopping page to your newsletter, in press releases, articles and social networks.
6. Leverage your time and resources – find ways to make one thing go further. An e-book can become several articles and press releases, special reports and bonus giveaway docs, and a seminar or teleclass, for example.
7. Upgrade your skills and widen your service/product base. The more you have to offer, the more clients you can attract. Maybe you can partner up with somebody who offers complimentary services and products and offer each other’s lists your services. That way you don’t have to know everything, but being able to offer the extra services is attractive to customers and a win-win for you.
8. Do joint ventures – for the same reason as above. Joint ventures are designed to be a win-win for both partners. Which businesses could you do a joint venture with?
9. Can you automate some of your regular tasks thus saving you time and money? Are you doing something manually or paying somebody to do something manually that can be done in half the time by a new program?
10. If you are a coach or consultant, consider offering group coaching programs whereby you coach several clients at the same time in a group format rather than individually. You will still earn the same money, but you will save a lot of time which will enable you to explore other money making ventures. If you are in some other line of business, what can you do in your business that will enable you to achieve the same in less time while enjoying the same or higher income?
