Conquer The Net Blog

I had to take the time to record something that happened to me yesterday.

I just couldn’t let this one go…

Here’s the story:

About a year or so ago I decided to take Playboy up on an excellent offer and subscribe to their magazine.

I mean, hey, I’m a red-blooded American boy.  Besides, the stories are good, right?

Ok, so the year passes and my subscription comes to an end.

But well before that – and as expected – I was frequently offered various renewal options.

I simply chose to ignore them, having decided that I really didn’t need any more distractions in my already way-under-productive-for-my-abilities life. (<;

Note: At this point I suppose I should mention that I normally subscribe to magazines by sending a check, rather than giving them my credit card info.  That way, they can’t automatically charge me if I missed some small print or didn’t uncheck a box, etc. when the renewal comes due.

So, yesterday I get a collection notice in the mail!

From Playboy – via Sunrise Credit Services.

Strange, I don’t remember entering into a continuing business agreement with Playboy (beyond the 1st year’s subscription), so why are they saying I’m "on the hook" to them for more money?

It’s a bit comical, because the collection notice starts out with:

When you receive a collection notice…

1.  Don’t get angry
2.  Communicate with us
3.  Let us help

These folks obviously know their business, because the FIRST thing I did when I saw the notice and what it was for is get EXTREMELY ANGRY!

The nerve of Playboy coming after me, potentially damaging my excellent credit rating for a debt I didn’t owe on a commitment I didn’t make.

Honestly, I always honor my commitments and obligations, so this was a real shocker to me.

So, after I settled down from NOT following rule 1, I went for rule 2 and gave them (Sunrise Credit Services) a call.

I got through to a customer service rep relatively quickly and after briefly explaining my plight, she cancelled the action against me and presumably, Playboy’s attempts to bully me into continuing with them.

I asked her if this would have any impact on my credit rating and she said "no" without a moment’s hesitation.

In fact, the whole process was so easy and she seemed as if she performed this type of transaction hundreds of times a day, the realization of what had just happened hit me – hard!

This so-called collection agency is really just an extension of Playboy’s marketing arm.  

Think about it, how many people do you think would have simply paid the bill – they provided THREE ways to do it on the collection notice – thinking that they really were obligated to pay it?

I’d bet the percentage is staggering. 

And the recurring funds into Playboy’s coffers reflects it very well, you can be sure.

All because of: 

A. Ignorance – people forgot what their original commitment was, and
B. Fear – people don’t want to be sued, especially by a giant like Playboy, or suffer a reduction on their credit score

Man, if that’s not predatory, I don’t know what is.

And I’m not a lawyer, but there’s got to be something going on here that, if not breaking the law, is either bending it to its extremes, using some obscure loophole, or both.

It’s got to be harrassment at the very least, right?

Here’s another example of predatory marketing, while I’m on the subject.

Have you seen the new Plavix commercial?  You know, the one where the hospital gurney is following this guy around, while the narrator is saying that if you’ve had a clot before, you have a blah, blah chance of dying from the next one or some such BS?

Listen, that is an IN YOUR FACE, OVERT threat to your life – if you don’t take their damned artificial, synthetic chemical, designed only to treat, NEVER to cure.

They are essentially saying you are a walking dead man/woman if you don’t take their pill. 

And the government – AMA, FDA, FTC – just let them continue to threaten and monger fear in the populace.

What’s wrong with this picture?  How can they get away with this?  Can you say greed?

But don’t get me started on Big Pharma – this isn’t the right blog…

Ok, so there’s your cautionary tale for the month.

Take home points:

1.  If you subscribe to anything – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually – record the details.  Subscribe date, payment info, renewal info, etc.  Keep a central file, Excel spreadsheet, etc. of all of your subscriptions, online and off.

2.  Take extra time to read all of the small print.  Especially regarding your exact monetary commitment, the renewal process and re-billing options.

3.  Consider using a check for most offline subscriptions.  That way, you can’t be re-billed without your consent.

I’d love to hear some examples of predatory practices you’ve seen or experienced – both online and off.

Hopefully this will help some people avoid the stress and hassle this caused for me.

Be well,

Russ
 

I recently bought an internet marketing course from someone who I had heard OF for years, but never had heard FROM – Terry Dean.

Terry is one of the early guys on the net who helped pave the way for much of what internet marketing has become today.

I guess he had kind of semi-retired from the business, which is why I hadn’t heard anything about him in a long while.  

But recently, another old timer made a recommendation about a product by Terry and I decided to check it out.

It’s called his Internet Lifestyle Retirement System.

Talk about being blown away!  Wow.

DVD after DVD of personally delivered content, painstakingly laid out in step-by-step, Camtasia screen capture or camcorder recorded videos.

And CDs loaded with tutorial videos specifically made for me to use to train my outsourced staff on specific tasks that support my business!

This course is without a doubt one of the top 5 best info product purchases I’ve made in all of my time online.

Absolutely incredible value – which is why it’s my Product of the Month!

I could go on and on, but this isn’t a product review article or pitch, it’s my lead-in to an article by Terry Dean himself.

Check this out and see if you agree with me – you don’t have to buy a product from him to realize that Terry knows his stuff – and he’s willing to share…

10 Internet Marketing Rules to Live By

Here are 10 simple Internet Marketing Rules to Live by.  Print them.  Post them to your desk.  Use them everyday.
 
1. Invest Small When Starting Anything New.
Always invest small when starting out. It’s possible any ad you run may lose money.  Always keep your risks and investment small whenever you’re starting a new type of advertising.  Even if you had that top level copywriter write your ad, not everything they write will be a home run.  It may need a few changes to produce the results you want.  The market you’re advertising to may not be perfect.  There is no such thing as a “Sure Thing.”

2. Test Everything.
Only one expert is right, and it’s not me. It’s your own personal test results. Test headlines. Test the length of your ad copy. Test audio and video on your sales page. Test a squeeze page before visitors get to the sales site. Constantly run 2 ads on Adwords for every ad group. Test a “try before you buy” offer. Test telephone follow-up. Quit blindly following gurus and test everything!

3. Be Unique.
Don’t ever be a me-too business. Take a look at everyone in your marketplace. What is different about you from them? Here’s a quick exercise. Write down all the benefits someone gets from your product or service. Now cross off all the benefits they can also get from other people’s products and services. What’s left? If nothing is left, you may need to rethink or modify what you offer to provide something unique in your marketplace.

4. Target Your Ads Only to Buyers.
You’ve chosen your niche, but do you write your ads to all your visitors. No. You will never achieve a 100% buying rate. Much more common is 1%…and 10% is extremely high (possible at times with strong follow-up). This means at least 90% of your website visitors are NOT your target audience even though they came to your site. You’re not writing to them. It doesn’t matter if those people like what you write at all. You’re writing only to the BUYERS…that 1 to 10% of your unique visitors who will take action.

5. Develop a Backend From the Beginning.
You should already have a basic idea or outline for your next offer before your first one is done. If your first product is an ebook or CD, what will you offer next? You may start your backend by offering joint venture deals and affiliate offers from others. The money is any business comes from repeat purchases and backend sales. In fact, I’d never want to be in any business where I HAD to make money from one product. It destroys your marketing ability. If your competitor can break even or even lose money on their advertising, how can you compete if you have to make a living off the same offer?

6. Your Network Determines Your Net Worth.
First heard that expression from Mark Victor Hansen. Strategic Alliances, social networking, referrals, viral marketing, etc. are the key to building your business online.  Going it alone is a recipe for failure. In most businesses, affiliates make up 50% to 75% of sales. Incoming links from other sites is the key to search engine optimization. Find ways to serve the other top players in your niche. Network. Mastermind. Grow together…even with competitors.

7. Don’t Restrict Your Business to Internet Only.
You’re not an Internet business. You’re an Internet based business. Develop your business model with both Internet and offline strategies. Follow-up on customer by phone. Here’s a quick tip – call people who just purchased from you to thank them for their order and also offer them something else at a discount price right now (I’ve seen people increase profits by 40% from that alone). Send direct mail to your customers. Rent a targeted mailing list and send postcards to drive people to sign-up for your list.  Use offline publicity and networking to generate leads.

8. Build your Relationship with Your Lists.
Yes, I said “lists,” not “list.” Concentrate on educating your list members…both with good content and about your products/services. Use online follow-up methods such as email and be willing to use direct mail. Send thank you cards to JV partners and customers. Run a teleconference where you meet with your customers or prospects.  Create a blog. Put a face on your company and let them get to know you as a person.

9. Focus on Your Gifts.
Focus your time and attention on what you’re best at. There’s dozens of ways to market your site. Concentrate on the ones that most fit with your style and skillset. If you hate writing, then don’t use writing as your primary advertising method. Or hire out the writing. Figure out what skills you have…and focus on those. Outsource the rest to others. If you try to force yourself to be just like “Guru #1,” it’s simply going to be an exercise in frustration. You’re unique. Build a unique business suited to you.

10. Plan for the Long Haul.
I’m sure you’ve been told about instant riches overnight. Quit trying for that. And quit trying to jump on the “new thing.” Pick a business and work on it. Yes, I said work…that dirty four letter word so many people hate. Things might no go right when you first start. You might have to modify a few elements of your presentation. You might have to change your product. To be successful in this business requires you have a backbone and stick to it even when things don’t go your way! Develop at least a one year plan with daily actions to push you to success. You’ll make modifications along the way, but at least you have a basic roadmap of where you’re going.

by Terry Dean
April 25, 2007
Visit Terry’s Blog:
www.terrydean.org

See what I mean?  Some really good stuff from one of the "pioneers" in our industry.  

Terry has given me permission to publish more of his articles, so I’m going to do just that.  Expect to see a few more in the near future.

He has a great teaching style.  I don’t tend to get bored with his stuff like I do with other folks.  It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s actually done (and IS DOING) what he teaches.  That’s always a biggy with me, how about you?

Anyway, take this information (with Terry’s and my compliments), USE IT – and prosper!

Nowadays, even the casual web surfer can see that video is becoming more and more prevalent in all types of websites.

And as the use of video increases, so does the number of new and innovative special effects features.

Things that weren’t economically possible a few months ago are now stepping up to the forefront of modern video marketing technologies.

Transparent video is one of those.

You know, those little video people that stroll out onto your computer screen at some websites you’ve visited.

Very cool stuff that previously only folks with deep pockets could afford.

Josh Anderson is a whiz at transparent video.  He has a course on how to do it.  What’s more, he’s a really good teacher – and of course, he uses videos to teach you.

Anyway, he recently came out with a masterful follow-up to his previous products.

It’s a product called Trigger Players that allows you to control multiple html fields within the page the video is on.

In other words, like the demo on the page shows (no opt-in required), you can have a video play on your page, while having it “trigger” other effects on the page, like making an opt-in box appear, change lines or whole blocks of text, or whatever you can think of.

The possibilities for how to use Trigger Players are endless and make video even more engaging than ever.

Seems like a great tool to use for lead capture, squeeze and sales pages, just for starters.

Josh has a great reputation online – like for overdelivering.  He’s thrown in some great bonuses.  They alone are worth more than the basic product.

I recommend you at least check out the effects on his site.

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The second video tool does something I didn’t think was possible.

It allows you to put clickable buttons IN your video!

Not a redirect after the video stops or a link below for someone to click on, but clickable links right there on the video.

It’s called Video DirectPay Marketing software.  I managed to get it for a steal, but haven’t used it yet.

I also got a discounted (temporary) backdoor link for you, where the price is as low as you’re going to see it.

It’s designed to allow one button to take visitors to a payment page and the other to a page of your choice (like a printed salesletter).

I imagine you could get the links to go where you want them to.

I see something like Video DirectPay Marketing replacing the standard long copy salesletter.  At least augmenting it.

Of course, you’ll have to check the terms of use of any public video sites you plan to upload these videos to.

This is so new to me, I don’t really know if I’ve ever seen a video anywhere that had clickable links in the video itself.  You?

It’s still early, maybe you’d like to be one of the first to snag this?

Like with the other tool, there are loads of possibilities for this.

Feel free to share some of your ideas for creative ways to use these tools!

Russ

Hey there,

I know, I’ve been away for awhile…

But not intentionally.  I was locked out of my own blog for several weeks.

And rather than hire someone to figure out the problem, I was determined to do it on my own.  This isn’t my only WordPress blog, after all.  And I don’t have a “team” to handle things like this.

Soon, perhaps.  But for now, it’s either me or one of the local outsource sites like elance.com.

Chances are, it’s me.  At least for small issues like this.

So, after lots of searching around the WordPress.org support section, punctuated by frequent distractions and detours, I upgraded (via FTP, I couldn’t get into the admin) to version 2.5.1.

But this time I compared my original htaccess file to the existing one and saw a lot of extra stuff on the existing one.

By simply replacing that file, all’s good to go again. Whew!

Sure wish I knew how that file got weird stuff written on it…

Not that scripts don’t have glitches and good hackers can get into pretty much everything.

I just want to know if it was one of those or something else.

Good thing it’s only happened once.  Let’s hope it’s the last time, too!

Russ