 #############################################################
From Chris Kilian, Stealth Promotions
Austin, Texas
email: chris@stealthpromotions.com
Welcome to the 10th Issue of Secrets for Success.
Our growing subscriber list is OUR list. Not for rent. Never sold.
Your privacy is jealously protected and always will be.
And, yes, I really mean that. Thanks to so many of you who gave me the benefit
of the doubt. I really appreciate your kind words of support when I really needed
that. You do not know how much that means to me. Thanks. I will address
what happened in the aftermath so you can live through my experience without
having to repeat the same mistake yourself.
This newsletter is due out on Wednesdays normally. This is the first time I have
mixed a newsletter and the holiday season. So far, the holiday season is winning.
I intend to contact you one more time before the end of the year, and then return
to a more dependable schedule by the second week of next year. I suspect many
of you may be too busy to read much at this time anyway.
We have some great information for your this week. Let's get to it.
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Contents:
1. Guest Article: The Missing Cornerstone of Success
2. Useful Sites: Consider these online gold mines.
3. My $.02: Dust Yourself Off
4. Worthy Newsletters: Consider adding yourself as a subscriber
5. Mixed Bag: Editor Ramblings
6. Links For Your Consideration: Great offers for you.
7. Guest Article: Survey Magic
1.############################################################
Guest Article:
The Missing Cornerstone of Success
1. A Hero is someone who the moment prior to becoming
one was a reckless, irresponsible dreamer.
2. One is successful just in the sincere attempt to
become successful.
I wrote the above while in deep reflection, mulling
over whether I was truly prepared to take on the mammoth
job of successfully launching an Internet marketing
company. Having survived several start-ups of this
magnitude, albeit not in the cyber-world, I knew this
undertaking would be one that involved much more than
just plain positive thinking.
However, as part of the process, I did return to my
favorite "success" books, reading through them like
familiar old friends. This time though, I experienced
a new "awakening", not from what I discovered in the
books, but from what I found was sorely missing in
most of them.
Please bear in mind that I believe with all my heart
in statement 2. above, however, for the sake of this
article I will refer to "achieving success" as the
actual attaining of ones "goal of success".
The majority of books and other motivational materials
fail to address the piece of the proverbial puzzle that
is most often the single determining factor between
achieving success, or not. If this key element were
included as such, the infinite collections of
you-can-make-it resources wouldn't be such an easy sell.
The omitted "truth" would put the reality of achieving
success in the cold hard light that it should be
presented in.
This required ingredient has little to do with the stuff
we should think, but has everything to do with the
potentially high cost of "doing".
I am referring to Sacrifice. Ask almost any successful
entrepreneur what sacrifices he or she has had to make
and they will without hesitation tell you they paid,
"a big price".
The reality of Sacrifice can include the following:
Sustained periods of time when 18-hour days are the norm,
when one hardly knows what day of the week it is because
they all seem the same. Days turn into weeks and weeks,
months. Entire seasons pass with little notice. I often
refer to this as The Fog.
Pivotal moments when one wrestles with their own mind over
whether their goal and their plan were after all, valid.
Self-doubt can be a success killer.
Replenishing of the deep inner-strength required to fend
off the effects of setbacks - bitter disappointment,
discouragement and quite often, disillusionment. Whether
one can bounce back from the devastating effects of a
major setback can be the single determining factor in
achieving success.
Financially, let's not discount the fact that one will
generally spend several times more than what they in
their original optimistic mindset had set as "the budget".
Under funding is among the first reasons why start-up
businesses fail. A smart business plan will allow you
to not only survive personally, but will provide for
implementing contingency plans.
Physical suffering can often accompany one on the ride
to success - the stress-related effects of weight loss
or gain, fatigue, even depression. Mental and physical
resiliency is a rudimentary quality to achieving success.
Too often, the largest sacrifice that an achiever has to
make is irreparable damage to relationships in his or her
life, when the gift of focus and determination is perceived
as, or becomes, obsession. The "perfect balance" may find a
home in books and on the lecture circuit, but reality has
it that true understanding and support by loved ones are
rare commodities. Countless families have fallen apart
because the entrepreneurial spirit was alive in a household.
Although this subject is deserving of much more attention
than I can give it here, communication is the key that will
see relationships not only survive, but flourish on the road
to success.
I find it amusing when someone just blurts out a quick and
disparaging remark about a successful person. The "yeah, he's
got it easy" kind of envious, thoughtless blurb. I've been
known to rebut more than once, "if you only knew". Thing is,
they have no idea what it has taken this person to achieve
success. Unfortunately, it's a concept they will probably
never "get". And a result they will probably never achieve.
The road to success is often a steep and rocky one. There
are mountains in your way, not on the roadmap that you must
be prepared to climb. This is the stuff that true
entrepreneurial heroes have to face. The ones who are
willing to fight the fight and often pay the high price.
By the way, and for the record, I did decide to start my
Internet marketing company and I'm pleased to report it
is doing just wonderful. I'm also duty bound to say that
many of the above sacrifices have been, and will continue
to be made along the way.
Greener valleys lie over the horizon for all of us. But
before you leave, know that Sacrifice is the Missing
Cornerstone of Success.
Written by Rick Beneteau
(c) 1998 NetProfit 2020 Inc., Marietta, GA
Rick is a partner in the Internet Marketing firm
NetProfit 2020 Inc. Their newest product and affiliate
program, I.D. IT! Plates (URL/EMAIL/NAME plates for
your car and office), at http://www.iditplates.com
is
taking the Net by storm. Rick also publishes/edits his
own newsletter, The Hallway Mirror (subscribe@thehallway.com).
EZINE OWNERS: to subscribe my column Of Mouse & Man, please
go to http://www.thehallway.com/MOUSE%20AND%20MAN/MM1.htm
.
Rick is a for-hire freelance writer and you can contact him
at rickbeneteau@netprofit2020.com.
2.############################################################
Useful Sites:
There is a new search engine being built at this time, and you will be some of
the first to get a crack at getting your permanent listing in the "Honest
Internet
Business Community" (HIBC). The stated goal is to list HONEST
business products and services in an effort to put money in the hands of
legitimate companies and out of the hands of con artists and fraudulent
commerce. There are no listings in it at this time. It only takes about 10
minutes to complete the process and get your company permanently listed in the
directory. Drop by http://youonline.net/youaward/youwon.htm
to start the process.
Need new buttons? Optimized gifs? Images for your page? Maybe a new banner?
There are tons of resources here that I intend to get back to after the holidays. If
you have the time, you should definitely make a visit to take advantage of this site.
http://www.mediabuilder.com/index.html
3.############################################################
My $.02:
Online Survival Depends on Sincerity
Once I made a mistake that could have cost me months of hard work and set back
my online success, but it did not.
Why?
I believe it is because I have been doing what I do sincerely. People forgive
honest mistakes if they value what you do.
OK. That is not entirely true.
I have made mistakes more than once. OK Actually, I make mistakes all the time.
But the last one with you was a whopper.
Issue 9 of my Secrets for Success newsletter was like some Steven King novel
mixed with Candid Camera...."We thought it would be funny to promise hundreds
of subscribers complete privacy and then send an email with every single name in
the CC part of the message." (Do not try to find those names in the archived
copy
of this newsletter at http://www.stealthpromotions.com/free_reports.htm
, you
won't find them.)
Those who received the last issue know what I mean. Suffice to say that my error
made my promise that starts each newsletter appear to be a "bald-faced" lie. I
cannot describe the sinking feeling I had when I looked at my copy of the last
issue to see all the names of my subscribers.
So. What happened? Betcha you are a little curious. I was.
Did I lose all my hard-earned subscribers? Was I turned in to hundreds of ISPs
for some kind of complaints?
Nope.
At last count, best I can tell, I lost about 2% of my readership. Most of those
were angry with me (as I was with myself) for my mistake. But to be honest, I
expected many more unsubscribes. That is an observation, not a request you
unsubscribe.
About 5% of you communicated with me, mostly the same day you received the
message. Of this group, a little more than half told me to forget about it, and the
rest began to tear into me for potential problems. About 1/2 of the group who
complained wrote a second email taking back part of all of what they had said
after reading the email apology which was sent out almost immediately after I
could see what had happened.
Best response? "To err is human. To really screw things up, you need a
computer."
As of today's date, my readership has grown by about 10% over the last issue
after all the comings and goings of this last week.
Several new client contacts were created. One comes as direct result of what I
have been doing in the past, what I did with the last issue, and how it was handled
afterwards.
Why?
I have been reading your messages to me and spending some time thinking about
how I "got away" with this.
Perhaps this newsletter is routinely deleted so no one noticed? Probably there is
some truth there, but I hope many of you find this very valuable information, and
read each issue carefully.
Perhaps your email provider cut off the problem email because of the very large
header, so you don't know this happened? That does not work as the answer
since my apology email was sent to the whole list, and it was not rejected.
I explained exactly what happened in that second note.
Actually, I think I "got away" with this because I did what you would do in
any
valuable relationship, online or off. I made a mistake. I confessed. I
asked to be
forgiven, and I was. I did what I did in error, told you so, and you believed me.
Thanks very much. I truly appreciate that.
I did not need to wait for Mr. Star to investigate me or the publisher of some skin
magazine to pay for a story about me, not that either would. I did not even need
to see requests for information from several of you to know what I had to do.
My sincere apology was on its way before you contacted me. I would
have
sent it immediately except I had to be sure to not repeat the mistake in the second
message.
Granddad used to say, "You can judge your friends by the reaction your get when
your pet goes to the bathroom on their carpet."
I am pleased that most of you let me make clean up the mess and have invited me
back. I am going to keep that dog at home from here on.
Thanks.
Copyright © 1998 Stealth Promotions
Chris Kilian operates Stealth Promotions.
( http://www.stealthpromotions.com )
Stealth Promotions will create
your internet presence from scratch or
improve the effectiveness of existing web sites.
Subscribe to his newsletter by sending an
email to subscribe@stealthpromotions.com
This article can be copied and used in your publication or on
your web site at no charge. All we ask is that you publish
the article in it's entirety, including the footnote above.
4.############################################################
Worthy Newsletters:
A. Your Weekly Message...The Baum Group - a FREE weekly e-newsletter
to help you stay focused, on purpose and more! To subscribe, click on
mailto:drrae@prodigy.net?subject=subscribe_ezine
1-4
B."Disceptatio" is a free monthly discussion E-Zine. It will not make
you a million, but just might help you die laughing. For a sample copy e-mail clun@bigfoot.com put Copy in the Subject. To Subscribe,
same but put Subscribe in the subject. Note: you MUST Subscribe in order to be put on the
Mailing List.
C.FREE subscription to our e-zine for free and learn the tips and tricks of
some of the best Internet marketers in the business. Every week we
will provide you with information that will help you make your business
explode. To subscribe send an e-mail to
majordomo@perfectpresence.com
with SUBSCRIBE NETNEWS in the
subject.
Please let the publishers know you heard about them here.
5.############################################################
Mixed Bag::
LinkOpp has expanded their service offerings. Put 10 free megs of space under
the Christmas tree of your Friends, Relatives, Workmates, Clients, Customers,
Club Members, Sororities, Church Fellowships or any other group you wish to
give web space. This is my gift to you. Get a couple new free web spaces to
try
out the ideas you do not want to pay to experiment with at this time. Go to my
online greeting card at http://www.stealthpromotions.com/linkopp.htm
Season's
greetings to all of you.
Please recall that I do not favor "free" or "borrowed" web space
for your main
commercial web pages. When you are ready to get with a great company for
web space, I recommend Virtualis. I am an enthusiastic reseller. Get details of
their fully loaded web hosting options at http://www.virtualis.com/vr/ckilian
(at
this time there is NO SETUP FEE) or drop by for information about smaller
hosting packages at http://www.stealthpromotions.com/host.htm
Thanks to Jodie McPhee of TrekPlanet for her mostly kind words in her review
of our little corner of the Internet. Jodie has a brash style, but her knowledge is
evident (not just 'cause she liked my pages) and her site and newsletter are worth
your time. See what I mean at: http://www.TrekPlanet.com/
If you have articles that you would like us to consider for publication, send
them to us at articles@stealthpromotions.com
. No promise to use every
submission, but we are looking for your input.
6.#############################################################
This Week's Classifieds:
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3-4
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and you can subscribe for your
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1-1
7.#############################################################
Guest Article:
SURVEY MAGIC
If you're a netrepreneur like me, you're always looking for promotion ideas that really
work. Here's one that worked for me. It is not original. But very few
ideas in this world are. If you're interested in a case study that you might want to
copy, read on.
SURVEY ON WHAT?
When I first started promoting my web site, I thought about a survey. I'd read that
they can be an effective way to collect leads. But, survey on what? Suddenly,
it hit me. Why not ask people how to promote my product? This is not a
commercial, so I won't tell you what my product is. Let's say it's bedpans. A
survey on "Bedpan Marketing". Sounds ridiculous, but stay with me.
I made up a series of questions. Some were multiple choice. Some were fill in
the blanks. Your imagination is probably already telling you what type of questions.
What type of bedpan do you
prefer? What is your favorite color? How much do you spend for your bedpans?
Ever bought any on the Internet? You get the idea . . . The survey form
was added to my web site.
AN INCENTIVE
To get people to fill out the survey (which, of course included their e-mail address), I
needed some incentive. I used my primary product. I offered each of the first
30 people to fill out the survey a free bedpan. They could choose their color,
finish, etc. I also offered a free bedpan to the winner of a drawing to be held on
October 31st (about six weeks after the ad appeared). Everyone was promised an
e-mail with the results of the survey by November
15th.
PROMOTION
How to promote it? I used Kingdom Classifieds (http://www.interking.com).
Three reasons. Their ads are full page, inexpensive and (most
important) they "promote" each ad as a separate web site to all the popular
search engines. Unfortunately, they don't pay commissions for referrals. Dang
the bad luck!!
I tried a couple of other promotions. I posted a notice on CompuServe. I tried
two or three other classified ad sites.
DID IT WORK?
I was astonished, to say the least. The day after the ad appeared in Kingdom
Classifieds, I got 99 completed surveys in my e-mail box. I got the 30 free bedpan
winners in the first three hours! In the six weeks up to October 31st, I received
355 completed surveys. Virtually all came from the Kingdom Classifieds ad.
Yes, it worked.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
Well, ignoring my time (that's free, right?), about $182. The free bedpans cost me
about $60, including payment to my fulfillment company who sends them out. The
postage was about $90 ($3.00 per bedpan) and the shipping boxes cost 86 cents each.
The Kingdom Classified ad cost $6.00.
IS IT WORTH IT?
I think so. I have 355 interested leads, so far. Of the 30 free bedpan
winners, seven have sent me glowing testimonials so far. These are all on my web
site now. I will use them in all my other promotions. All 355 of these people
are getting follow-up e-mails from me about every three weeks.
Oh, and not incidentally, I have an interesting consensus on how to market bedpans on the
Internet -- how much to charge for them, the favorite colors, etc. I did tabulate
the results and sent a summary to everyone who participated.
MISTAKES?
Yes, we learn from them, too, don't we? Remember the drawing for the free bedpan and
the 30 free ones to the first surveys? Well, I sent the 324 people who didn't get a
freebie a message congratulating them on winning SECOND PRIZE. They could buy a
bedpan at the reduced price of $39.95. Not cool. I got several
"flames" saying that a "prize" should be something free, not costing
$40. Two people bought one, but the "flames" outnumbered the sales about 4
to 1. Needless to say, the flamers were removed from my prospect list.
WHAT NEXT?
The Kingdom Classifieds ad is running again. I changed it around, offering the
Second, Third and Fourth place drawings a "two for the price of one" deal.
No free bedpans for the first 30 this time. In the first two days after the
ad came up, I had 106 responses. I plan to keep doing it and refining
the ad every 6 weeks or so. Not as snappy a response as the first one, but plenty
good enough. I expect them to continue to float in at a reduced rate for the next
five weeks until the January drawing.
Each response gets added to my follow-up list, which is automated to send up to seven
follow-up messages to the list on a predetermined schedule. All the real experts on
Internet Marketing say an opt-in list of prospects like this is "internet gold".
I accept this on faith. It sure beats spamming.
This was my first experience with anything like this. It produced a better response
than anything else I have tried. If I can do it, so can you. Best of luck with
your marketing efforts.
Bill Henderson is President of Websites 2000, an Internet Marketing Consulting firm.
Sites he designed and promotes include http://www.websites4art.com
and http://www.christianity2000.net
>From 1978 to 1998, he founded and ran a successful software publishing firm in San
Antonio. He can be contacted at: mailto:websites@stic.net.
#############################################################
Until next time-
Plan your work. Work your plan. Succeed.
Chris Kilian, Stealth Promotions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can Your Web Page Win One or More of 700+ Awards?
http://www.stealthpromotions.com/awardlist.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Submit Your Site to Major Search Engines Free
http://www.stealthpromotions.com/submit.htm
Want to do it yourself? Follow the same link
to get two free software programs that will
do this for you. Both allow free downloads
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What would you give for a free classified ad that would:
Make your ad ALWAYS have the #1 position?
What if it would do this for EVERY category?
Would you like it to send an email for every ad placed?
Want the ability to change your email message 24/7?
Would it be OK to send your ad to 700 sites?
Would you like free guestbooks or autoresponders?
Can you find a banner you control to paste in the middle
of the ad entry page?
Want to know by email message each time an ad is placed?
Would you like let this run on automatic, except when
you want to make changes?
Want all this with basically no rules beyond NO SPAM?
Go to: http://www.websitings.com/classads/sites/stpromo.htm
Easy set up when you click "apply for classifieds"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember: All of you have indicated that you wish to
receive this publication, which is sent by email. You
have entered a contest, asked for our award, used
our services, or sent a subscription request directly
to us. To stop delivery of this newsletter and have
your information removed, send any email to
mailto:unsubscribe@stealthpromotions.com
, and
your wish will be followed. We are VERY interested
in your feedback. Make suggestions, give us
comments, good or bad. Share your thoughts with
email to mailto:spezine@stealthpromotions.com
Expect more tips, hints, websites, tools and advice to increase
your web traffic and internet success next issue.
Please forward this whole message to friends or
associates. They will thank you for it.
Better yet, suggest that your friends send a blank
email to subscribe@stealthpromotions.com
so that
they can be added to our list.
All contents Copyright (c) 1998 Stealth Promotions, except
where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reprint only with express permission from copyright
holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective
owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied
income claims made herein -- your business success is always
dependent on many factors, including your own abilities.
Advertisers are solely responsible for ad contents
and publisher accepts no liability for direct or consequential
damages.
Find back issues of this newsletter and terrific articles at
http://www.stealthpromotions.com/free_reports.htm
Contact Information:
Stealth Promotions' Secrets for Success
701 Capital of Texas South, Suite C-1173
Austin, Texas 78746
Phone: 1-512-330-0404
Fax: 1-512-328-8323
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