At the beginning of our conversation, Mark was mainly concerned about what the name of his copywriting business should be. His first thought was to use his surname. However, he believed that his surname might be too unusual for someone to pronounce. You’ll hear how we discuss sole proprietorships and the option of incorporating after getting started, obtaining customers, and making some money. Find out what Mark finally decides to use as his business name.

Listen as I give Mark an idea about obtaining copywriting work by researching Ebay. Look for closed auctions for big ticket items where the item did not sell. Look at the Ebay ad to see what could have made the item sell. Sometimes it is simply because there was no research done on the item and thus, there was not a good description of the item or its features.

Contact the seller by email and negotiate to re-write the ad and re-run the auction. If the item sells, you would get a negotiated percentage of the sales price. Of course, you would need an option agreement and some sort of non-disclosure agreement as well as software that would prohibit the seller from printing or copying your ad – but you’ll hear me explain the details of everything you would need to accomplish this. Listen as I give example of a generic email that could be modified for any auction and sent to sellers.

I advise Mark to research unsuccessful closed auctions for boats, houses, machinery, and other high priced items. And don’t just stay with Ebay. Look into the real estate market for beautiful homes that just aren’t selling. Most of the time, real estate ads just don’t do a good enough job of explaining the real advantages of owning that particular home. The very best way to advertise a home is to interview the current homeowner about the home itself, the neighborhood, the schools, etc. – important things that real families are interested in.

Listen to my own experience with using written copy in conjunction with audio for both a product and for real estate.

Mark certainly loved that idea and was going to start researching completed auctions for big ticket items on Ebay right away! The key is to identify poor ads for great products. You must also learn to negotiate well and then you will have a great niche market!

Near the end of this audio, listen as I describe a Bonus Resource on my web site, www.hardtofindseminars.com. It’s more than 15 hours of copywriting audios from my best interviews with copywriting experts such as Brian Keith Voiles, Eugene Schwartz, and many others. This is a “must have” set of materials for both new and existing copywriters that will reveal copywriting secrets and make your business more successful. Enjoy! Back to Index

Pam comes away from this consultation with the determination to develop this unique product. As a listener, this consultation details all of the points necessary to develop your own unique information product in a simple, step-by-step fashion. This recording is 30 minutes. Back to Index

Louis stated that he had purchased the rights to market this odor removal product in the United States for his type of business – only.

When I inquired about what he paid for these “exclusive” rights, Louis reluctantly admitted that he had paid a whopping $50,000! I also discovered that Louis’ exclusive agreement entitled him to purchase the product from the manufacturer for about 50% less than retail price.

It pained me to tell Louis that he was being gouged. With this pricing set-up, Louis’ margins were such that he couldn’t ever realize great success. You will hear me explain what the margins of a chemical product actually should be and how he could accomplish more lucrative margins.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the manufacturer packages the product for Louis. Although Louis’ brand name is on the product, the name of the manufacturer is also on the product. With this, Louis does not have the total control over the product that he really needs. Anyone could see the manufacturer’s name and then go around Louis to purchase the same product for a lower price – and there goes his unenviable margin to boot.

The main ingredient of the product has not been patented which means that the same odor removal product could be formulated elsewhere at Louis’ request. Listen as I suggested that Louis work to get his money back and contact another formulator so that Louis has total control.

We then discuss the actual marketing of the product, whether he uses his current source or develops his own product. You will hear me stress the importance of a Unique Selling Proposition: Why should someone buy Louis’ product rather than that of a competitor?

I give him some ideas for possible USP items and point out many options that he would have if he had exclusive control over his own product.

I know that I didn’t tell Louis what he wanted to hear. However, I feel that I told Louis what he needed to hear in order to succeed with this or any other product.

This recording is a good lesson for anyone who is thinking of starting a business with a product. You need a well thought out USP and, most important, you need TOTAL CONTROL of your own product! Learn and enjoy! Back to index