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Other Added - Interview with Super Affiliate Scott Hazard
They say that life begins at 40 (whoever the proverbial ‘they’ are), and they’re right, it does. It begins to go downhill fast! That’s if you happen to find yourself unemployed in the 21st century at 40 plus. I found it a demoralizing nightmare looking for work because about 90% of my job applications didn’t even get replies. That’s diddly squat, zero, zilch. The thing that hurt the most was that there were plenty of vacancies around, but it appears they had already made their mind up on the age range. It’s not legal to specify age preference where I come from but it doesn’t mean employers are obliged to hire the experienced fossils.After a few months of feeling sorry for myself, I decided not to be defeated and change both my attitude and approach in looking for work. I realized that the medium for job search has changed a lot in recent times. We still have the employment agencies, the local rags, and of course word by mouth, which is still useful, but we’re in a different era now.This is the age of the information super highway. There’s now the speed and efficiency of the virtual application form. I was doing it all wrong as I wrote letters, included a resume, licked the stamps and manually posted the application. I set myself up for the waiting game, the no-response, and the rejection. This is no longer how folks look for work and so the time had come to get with the times!The great thing about applying for employment online is that it’s so easy to research and follow up your application. There’s more information on the job opening, and there are specific guidelines to follow when applying. I prepared an impressive resume on my PC and stored it in a folder I simply named ‘Employment’. I also created a standard cover letter along with few formal photos of myself.T
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to
Marketing professional services is a real and difficult challenge. The challenges of marketing professional services are different from those of marketing products. Two major reasons for the differences are that clients cannot see or touch professional services before they buy them and the professional services are often produced and consumed simultaneously. And another reason is that marketing professional services is split among marketing, sales, professional and management staff instead of a dedicated marketing and sales force.How do you meet these challenges? What tactics really work in marketing professional services? To answer those questions, I researched what successful professional service firms do and also drew upon my personal experiences of more than two decades of marketing professional services for others and myself. Based upon my research and my own professional experience, I developed a Top Ten Tactics for marketing professional services.My top ten tactics for marketing professional services are: 1. Develop a list of your 100 most desired clients.2. Develop and implement a client relationship program.3. Arrange business development meetings with existing, past and prospective clients on a regular basis.4. Network, network and network!5. Conduct focused seminars and workshops of interest to your target markets.6. Arrange speaking engagements with your target market’s industry and professional organizations.7. Write articles for professional and trade publications on current topics of interest to your target markets.8. Publish and distribute a newsletter.9. Generate positive publicity for your company.10. Get involved in the communities where you work and live.You may rank these tactics differen
Shawn Collins: Yeah, I'm very curious about Scott's opinions and experiences since he's been dealing with the data feeds a lot and he has some great insight.
Lisa: Scott is the long time, what we often call, super affiliate. And back in October he launched a PPC-driven affiliate operation that was funded completely by venture capitalists called Cooperative Affiliates. Scott, I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about Cooperative Affiliates and then how that idea came about.
Scott Hazard: The idea came about by me looking for ways to get capital together to use for affiliate marketing purposes. I actually went and spoke with a banker and after I talked to this banker for about 30 minutes, and he still really didn't have a grasp on what I did. I just gave up. I didn't even pursue it any further because I was unable to really get him on level with what I was doing.
At that point, I approached a few people that I know with an idea, we talked a lot about it; had a lot of conference calls about it; and decided to give it a try. We started with a small number of investors and I operate as the manager of the operation. What I've done there is create some niche websites and use PPC to drive traffic to them. And it's working at this point. We are looking to grow a whole lot this year. I've got an upcoming move that's going to set us back just a month or so as far as production goes. But once that's over we've got a lot of plans and we have made pretty good money a pretty good ROI on our spin throughout the holidays. So we're postured in a way that we can hit the ground running in the second quarter.
Lisa: So the power of this really is that as opposed to being one affiliate, it's a group of affiliates gathered together to focus on specific niche areas and then they've sort of got the power of many as opposed to the power of one?
Scott: Exactly. But it's not all affiliates. We actually have people that are not really in the affiliate marketing world in our group. And we have people that are in other facets besides being an affiliate in our group. As far as the synergy of ideas and stuff goes, that's really good and we have, I guess I hate to use the word outsider, but people in the group that could be considered outsiders, that will often say 'well, why would this work this way' or whatever. And Shawn can tell you a lot of times when someone asks you a question and you explain your way of thinking to them that often you come up with a better plan just by being able to voice this.
It's been a big deal for me as a single-soul affiliate for the last several years. I sit hear and I beat on this computer; and I have a few friends that I talk to on the phone and such, but I have not had the benefit of the water cooler, as Lisa, you and I discussed back in the interview in the magazine. This also acts somewhat as a water cooler. But obviously with also the infusion of outside funds.
Lisa: Have there been other ideas that have sprung out of these water cooler, brain-storming sessions that you may be implementing in the future?
Scott: Yes. Ideas and merchants and just general things that I probably wouldn't be doing if I were doing this completely on my own. I still have my own operation, Brightside Media, that's completely separate and that's still completely mine. But as Cooperative Affiliates, the group of us have looked, discussed, researched and see some ways that we're going to go that I probably wouldn't have gone on my own.
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to c
Not sure what to talk about at your next networking meeting or cocktail party? The key to easy conversation is getting curious about other people. When you see someone you want to talk to, get curious about who that person is, what s/he likes, who you know in common, what brings the person to the event, etc. Allowing your inquisitive mind to blossom will improve your conversational skills dramatically.Below, you'll find tips on easy ways to initiate a conversation, keep it going, and exit with grace.1) Breaking the Ice If you are on the shy side or feel unsure about what to say, use this simple method to strike up a conversation. Ask a person who looks friendly a question about your shared environment – the party, place, group, or even the food. Questions like:"Are you a member of this group?" "The food is fantastic – did you try one of these?" "What do you think about this conference center?" "How are you connected to this group?"Another option is to compliment the person – but make sure your flattery is sincere. Personalize the comment if you can. Instead of just mentioning the item you admire, add something about the person's good taste. For example, "What a nice shirt. You must know what colors look good on you to have picked this out."2) Dialog Extenders Next, really listen to what the other person is saying. Sometimes people get caught up worrying about what to say, rather than paying attention to what is being said. Trust me, it's much easier to keep a conversation going if you only have to follow one at a time! When you relax and listen, you can simply pick up where the other person stopped. Here are three ways to do that:Ask a question about what s/he just said Put in your own two cent
At that point, I approached a few people that I know with an idea, we talked a lot about it; had a lot of conference calls about it; and decided to give it a try. We started with a small number of investors and I operate as the manager of the operation. What I've done there is create some niche websites and use PPC to drive traffic to them. And it's working at this point. We are looking to grow a whole lot this year. I've got an upcoming move that's going to set us back just a month or so as far as production goes. But once that's over we've got a lot of plans and we have made pretty good money a pretty good ROI on our spin throughout the holidays. So we're postured in a way that we can hit the ground running in the second quarter.
Lisa: So the power of this really is that as opposed to being one affiliate, it's a group of affiliates gathered together to focus on specific niche areas and then they've sort of got the power of many as opposed to the power of one?
Scott: Exactly. But it's not all affiliates. We actually have people that are not really in the affiliate marketing world in our group. And we have people that are in other facets besides being an affiliate in our group. As far as the synergy of ideas and stuff goes, that's really good and we have, I guess I hate to use the word outsider, but people in the group that could be considered outsiders, that will often say 'well, why would this work this way' or whatever. And Shawn can tell you a lot of times when someone asks you a question and you explain your way of thinking to them that often you come up with a better plan just by being able to voice this.
It's been a big deal for me as a single-soul affiliate for the last several years. I sit hear and I beat on this computer; and I have a few friends that I talk to on the phone and such, but I have not had the benefit of the water cooler, as Lisa, you and I discussed back in the interview in the magazine. This also acts somewhat as a water cooler. But obviously with also the infusion of outside funds.
Lisa: Have there been other ideas that have sprung out of these water cooler, brain-storming sessions that you may be implementing in the future?
Scott: Yes. Ideas and merchants and just general things that I probably wouldn't be doing if I were doing this completely on my own. I still have my own operation, Brightside Media, that's completely separate and that's still completely mine. But as Cooperative Affiliates, the group of us have looked, discussed, researched and see some ways that we're going to go that I probably wouldn't have gone on my own.
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to
The internet is a wonderful place. The world is getting smaller and smaller, yet bigger in some respects as well. The opportunities to earn cash and make money online are growing every day, so if you’d like to make some serious money, I would like to tell you how to make the big bucks just like a superhero would.Generating a healthy income from the internet would seem like an exceptional and extraordinary feat to the common man. But the secret is that it’s not that difficult, so if you manage to make a living from the internet by earning lots of cash and making money online, people will literally think of you as a superhero, so that’s what I’d like to help you become.Superheroes are noted for their feats of courage, with abilities beyond those of normal human beings. The courage aspect is what I would like to focus on since that will be the determining factor of your success in the online internet business world, and the other superhero qualities will follow from that. If you want to earn cash, make money online, and be a superhero, you are going to have to overcome any doubts about your ability to succeed and fears of failure. Every single successful internet business owner and entrepreneur I know and have read about possesses that quality – absolute courage to act.Whatever online business you want to pursue, whether it be affiliate marketing or selling or reselling a product or service, the probability of your success will depend upon your ability to act upon your goals and the elimination of failure. To earn cash, make money online and be like a superhero, the elimination of failure must occur. What I mean by that is that you must remove its existence from your reality.From now on, failure is impossible for you because it does not exist. Ergo, you cannot fail. Whatever goal
Lisa: So the power of this really is that as opposed to being one affiliate, it's a group of affiliates gathered together to focus on specific niche areas and then they've sort of got the power of many as opposed to the power of one?
Scott: Exactly. But it's not all affiliates. We actually have people that are not really in the affiliate marketing world in our group. And we have people that are in other facets besides being an affiliate in our group. As far as the synergy of ideas and stuff goes, that's really good and we have, I guess I hate to use the word outsider, but people in the group that could be considered outsiders, that will often say 'well, why would this work this way' or whatever. And Shawn can tell you a lot of times when someone asks you a question and you explain your way of thinking to them that often you come up with a better plan just by being able to voice this.
It's been a big deal for me as a single-soul affiliate for the last several years. I sit hear and I beat on this computer; and I have a few friends that I talk to on the phone and such, but I have not had the benefit of the water cooler, as Lisa, you and I discussed back in the interview in the magazine. This also acts somewhat as a water cooler. But obviously with also the infusion of outside funds.
Lisa: Have there been other ideas that have sprung out of these water cooler, brain-storming sessions that you may be implementing in the future?
Scott: Yes. Ideas and merchants and just general things that I probably wouldn't be doing if I were doing this completely on my own. I still have my own operation, Brightside Media, that's completely separate and that's still completely mine. But as Cooperative Affiliates, the group of us have looked, discussed, researched and see some ways that we're going to go that I probably wouldn't have gone on my own.
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to
Blogging has come of age and with it is a golden opportunity to dominate your competition.Blogging as we know it is changing rapidly. The main reason for that is that the number of bloggers is going through the roof. It is estimated that as many as 3 to 4 new blogs are started every second. What this means for someone who is trying to compete online is that the competition is getting fiercer by the second. In order to combat the competition the smart blogger must now think way ahead of what other bloggers are doing.Thinking outside the box is a great start but the real winners will be the innovators. One needs not look any further than what the top marketing “gurus” are doing in the particularly difficult and competitive marketing niche. This is where the biggest battles are fought and where the winners reap the largest rewards.In order for you to be successful in your niche (hopefully it is different than internet marketing) what you need to do is copy the formulas for success as they unfold before your eyes. Let the people with the large bankrolls test the market. When they find something that works you will know it as everyone will be rushing to copy the new technique or tactic. To be honest this should be your exact formula for success.You don’t want to compete in an overcrowded field you want to dominate in niches that get passed by because of various reasons. You just want to carve out a small income stream from the niches you attack and then build on those niches. By using the tactics that have already been tested you can then transfer and duplicate those tactics in your own niche and fly under the radar screen.One of your major tools should be the use of a blog that is on steroids for lack of a better terminology. We like to think of it as a Superblo
It's been a big deal for me as a single-soul affiliate for the last several years. I sit hear and I beat on this computer; and I have a few friends that I talk to on the phone and such, but I have not had the benefit of the water cooler, as Lisa, you and I discussed back in the interview in the magazine. This also acts somewhat as a water cooler. But obviously with also the infusion of outside funds.
Lisa: Have there been other ideas that have sprung out of these water cooler, brain-storming sessions that you may be implementing in the future?
Scott: Yes. Ideas and merchants and just general things that I probably wouldn't be doing if I were doing this completely on my own. I still have my own operation, Brightside Media, that's completely separate and that's still completely mine. But as Cooperative Affiliates, the group of us have looked, discussed, researched and see some ways that we're going to go that I probably wouldn't have gone on my own.
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to
The key to making effective outbound calls is structure. The most effective telephone sales person will have a set process for contacting customers and will stick to it, no matter what the temptation to alter their methods. Most outbound call agents will use a ‘working list’ to contact customers, it is important that you approach this list methodically and the following approach will help you to remain effective.Define your ideal customer – The best way to predict who your future customers will be is to understand who your past customers have been. For instance, if by looking at your past client base you realise that the majority of your orders have come from the 18 – 30 year old bracket, then this would likely be the best people to focus your attention on. Of course age isn’t the only consideration to make. You may also want to look at geography, past buying patterns, interests etc.Develop a good ‘script’ – A good script or series of specific questions is the most important thing you can do to improve your effectiveness when selling on the telephone. This becomes even more important when you are making outbound calls.Some people resist the idea of using a script. They argue that it is better to sound natural and this will help build the relationship with the customer. The trick is to use the script as a series of prompts or reminder of what to say rather than reading it verbatim. This way you can concentrate on how you say things as opposed to what you are saying. More importantly, it allows you to focus on what the customer is saying and helps you tailor your conversation to suit.The script should be seen as a method of allowing you to be flexible in your approach as opposed to being a restraint.Eliminate – The troubl
Lisa: Can you tell me how much time does the Cooperative Affiliates venture take versus your regular affiliate marketing endeavors?
Scott: Probably a third to two-thirds two-thirds of my own and a third of Cooperative Affiliates. It's really hard for me to measure that because sometimes I do several things. I may work on something of my own for a week and not even hardly touch Cooperative Affiliates other than monitoring it. But if I had to give numbers, I'd probably say a third to two-thirds.
Lisa: Do you expect that to continue or do you expect the balance to change as Cooperative Affiliates grows?
Scott: I think that 2007 will see that change. I think 2007 will see me, hopefully, by the end of the third quarter going into Q4, developing a considerably larger infrastructure of sites and such for Cooperative Affiliates and really getting that fired-up into Q4. The available funds will be there for Q4 and I would really like to put myself in a position where we will be able to fully utilize them.
Lisa: Well, that's great. I hope you will keep us informed about any new ventures that come out of that and things you can talk about that you guys are doing.
Scott: Thank you. I will indeed. It just goes to show you that sometimes we have crazy ideas and some of them work and some of them don't and this one has.
Shawn: Great. Scott, I have some questions I was curious about. With regards to data feeds, one thing I was wondering from your perspective is what do you see as the biggest problem right now that you experience with data feeds?
Scott: As far as data feeds go, Shawn, what I would really like to see and I guess can consider a public appeal to the networks, are a few things. The first being a little bit more of a common format. The most important thing that I would like to have as an affiliate from the networks is the ability to log into my account, select the data feeds that I want to use, and actually look at them. Download them and take a look at them. Once you look at them, a lot of them are going to be non-usable or not what you wanted or whatever. Not that they're bad, but that they're not going to fit in with your plan.
The system we have now requires affiliates to go through CJ personnel, either your account representative if you are a CJP or through their support people, and set a data feed up to be either delivered to your server or for you to ftp in and grab. What I think the networks are missing on here is a) a lot of these data feeds, by the time the affiliate sees it and realizes they can't use it, they're still sending it on whatever cycle it is they're sending it and it's not being used which is really just somewhat of a waste.
Also, if an affiliate is working on a site at midnight on a Thursday the networks work nine-to-five, affiliates work 24/7. If I were in one of the networks where I'm not able to get data feeds instantly and I was able to reach in and grab something, set it up and it would work, and then set-up a weekly update or a daily update or however it needs to be set-up all within my interface, that would be great. I realize that if this were to ever happen, that it would possibly be very much abused and overused by people that go in and get a lot of data feeds and disseminate them for whatever reasons and such. It would need to be monitored. But I think if the networks went through a fairly close screening process that they could put this together for affiliates that they deem worthy of it I guess. And it would be an invaluable tool to me.
Shawn I sent you an email one time. I believe I replied to one of your emails that I just come in; I think it was the three o'clock in the morning. I mentioned I was out drinking tea and playing cards. I sat down to work and if I had access to certain data feeds at that time they would have gotten integrated into one of my sites. As it is, those data feeds were added. They're now in the data feed push, but now I am in a position to where my programmer is not available for sometime and it's going to be probably three weeks or another month
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