The Economy Is Good, Depending On What You Do…
I can’t remember the last time I opened up a dictionary. 
A real one.
A physical one.
The 8 inch thick, foot and half tall one sits on the reference shelves in the Batcave like an ancient grimoire in Dr. Strange’s library.
Translation: I don’t use it anymore.
Not when I can look it up faster and easier online.
Same with which businesses are thriving and which are dying in this economy. Have you noticed that while the global economy may be going to hell in a hand basket, how the INTERNET economy is doing?
It’s BOOM-ING, baby.
The Internet is like diamonds and diamonds are as forever as they are durable — business-wise.
See, people will continue to buy no matter what the economy is doing… only now they’re buying smarter than before — one of unintended consequences of the economy’s current state.
These days, most folks know the Internet is not only the smartest place to buy, it’s the fastest, easiest way to do the research you need to do to make an smart buying choice.
Consider this…
In 2008 overall sales at traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores were down 5.5% to 8%. Now that’s catastrophic when you’ve got employees, rent and utilities to pay.
And yet, in the online world, across the board, store sales are only down only 2.3%… and many Internet companies, Amazon for example, - are reporting better sales figures in 2008 than 2007!
So how down is the economy for them? Meh… just a blip on the radar to compensate for and move on.
Watch this in 2009 — with a little tweaking here and there, most strategically-sound Internet-based businesses with a product/service that people want to buy — they’re going to ride through the current storm with little fuss. It’s already started and we’re just going to see it accelerate over the next several years.
In fact, I’ll go so far as to say Business Darwinism is going to cut the evolutionary wheat from the chafe.
” …more than half of all U.S. businesses are now run from kitchen tables, extra bedrooms, basements and garages. Home-based businesses make a $530 billion contribution to the nation’s economy each year.
…
” …for many Americans, starting up at home has become a necessity. What appeared to be simply another economic downturn a year ago, has devolved into a far more dire situation.
…
” …one group that seems particularly drawn to starting up is the baby-boom generation. This group is clearly leveraging skills accumulated during corporate careers and previous entrepreneurial adventures. They’re realizing that they can no longer count on long-term corporate careers.
…
“Unlike many of the big enterprises out there today, a great number of home-based ventures are still open for business and truly thriving.”
Click here to read the entire article!
I’ll tell you this: I love small businesses and if I could ever find a way to make the numbers work for me and them — I’d be all OVER that! I love small businesses and start-ups. The most heart and soul of capitalism is right there.
Any one have any ideas on how to make that market work financially? Just go to the Comment form and let me know and I’ll post the best ones.
Topics: Info-Product Creation, It's A Good Thing, Mind Of The Info-Marketer | 2 Comments »
By Walter
Jumpstart Writing Your Book with This Proven Formula
Two acquaintances emailed to see about hiring me to write their copy — one wanted me to write her ebook for a new product (and quite a promising one at that!) and the other to hire me for rewriting their fitness site.
Since I included a lot of information that is good to know, I combined my replies and I’m including it here for you. Here goes . . . Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Client Top Secret, Info-Product Creation, Mind Of The Info-Marketer | 1 Comment »
By Walter
Secret Strategy #3 - Will People Buy What You Sell? Here’s The Easy Way to Find Out . . .
Lets face it, most market research tools suck, plain and simple. WordTracker and Keyword Discovery, while 
powerful — also burden you with too much information and it’s up to you to sift what you need from the chaff.
Those of you who know me know that I speak quite a bit about the KEY importance of first establishing the viability of a market, before creating a product for it.
It’s a mistake I see prospects and clients make again and again.
At a recent summit I attended, Anik Singal had one of the best quotes I’ve heard this year: “A good idea is not a business.”
Amen to that, brother. I, and the most successful serial entrepreneurs I know find a market hole first, THEN and only then do they develop an product to fill it.
Most people do the exact opposite and the Internet is littered with abandoned sites and Google has fattened itself on bloated AdWords budgets from those who didn’t know what they were doing.
We all have good ideas and god knows we know plenty of people who have them, too. But . . . but, is the market looking for your good idea and more importantly, are they will to PAY for it?
To that end, I’ll tell you about a tool I use for Market Research in my personal and professional projects that allows me to:
Topics: Client Top Secret, Info-Product Creation, Mind Of The Info-Marketer, Pro Analysis | No Comments »
By Walter
Grrrrr . . . Starbucks Baristas Are Trying My Patience
You can love something or someone absolutely and still have to occasionally give them the Cher/Cage 
Moonstruck “Snap out of it!” bitch-slap back to reality.
Such is the case with my beloved Starbucks, who seems to have suffered a bout of Worst Practices coupled with my personal favorite, Bad Customer Service with a dollop of Indifference on the side.
Look, I buy all my coffee from Starbucks - ground by the pound and individual drinks.
I own SBUX stock.
I’m not a fanatic or anything, they just have the best-tasting coffee so it’s simply a practical issue for me.
I’ve sampled other coffees over the years, because if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know how I HATE to have all my eggs in one basket.
No one, but no one does coffee and the coffee experience better than Starbucks.
When I travel to a new city, one of the first things I do is find where the nearest Starbucks is to the hotel.
When I traveled to the IMC Summit in L.A. last month, I was doubly-blessed that the nearest Starbucks was inside the hotel. Didn’t have to walk blocks for it nor send the concierge.
I was doubly-blessed, and it was a glicken pile-on that IMC also saw to it that we were served Starbucks coffee throughout the summit.
And . . . this blog’s Tip Jar is for my favorite Starbucks drink, the Grande Americano. With their Chocolate Chip Frappucinos during the summer and Green Tea Lattes during the winter being close seconds and thirds. And the only ground coffee I get is their heaven-sent Celebes Sulawesi, the finest whole bean I have ever tasted.
So, safe to say I’m rather fond of the company and product, right?
And you would not be surprised to learn when last March, Starbucks released their Starbucks Card — that I would get one. And for a few bucks more, I could design the card I wanted?
Bam, I’m in. The baristas enjoy it when I whip it out and it never fails to draw attention and comment to the point where they even shown to each other and the nearest customers.
Seriously, I have a tear in my eye as I write this. No . . . I really, really do. Stop it . . . I do.
Love On The Rocks
But that’s where the romance jumped the tracks and I’m forced to bring down the hammer of tough-love - Starbucks has dropped the ball and dropped it repeatedly.
So you know what time it is, right? Yep . . .
[rolling up sleeves] Time to get to work . . .
Topics: Fighting Back, Marketing Mishaps, Pet Peeves | 2 Comments »
By Walter
"By Hook Or By Crook We Will," MJR’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Part 2
A video dramatization (though not by much) of the titanic struggle to save our homes from the faceless corporation . . . for sake of clarity and drama, picture me as the guy who’s taking on The System . . . all will be explained on the other side –
There’s not a way in the world to watch that opening and not feel like kicking some well-deserved ass. I get a rush just hearing the music . . . the shot of the gathering storm, the determined stride, the thunderclap as he flings open the doors and pounding the desktop of some mealy-mouthed bureaucrat is just glicken from there on.
in Part 1 of our little saga, I drew the parallel between that British spy drama of one man’s battle against a larger, faceless, oppressive and better financed opponent. The show was “The Prisoner” and is considered by many to be one of the most unusual and thought-provoking television series ever made.
Plus, the parallel to our uncovering of the MJR plot, its subsequent exposure, the scandal and ensuing battle is “spot-on” as my UK clients are fond of saying. And just like the show, I too discovered who my allies were — surprisingly, they were not the residents.
But I’m getting ahead of the story . . .
In the series, Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), played a former British secret agent being held captive by an unidentified power.
Episodes typically featured the unnamed prisoner, labeled “Number Six” by his captors, unsuccessfully attempting to escape from “the Village,” (the name of our apartments was “Redwood Village“) but successfully resisting interrogation and attempts at brainwashing.
Not to let irony slide, MJR often referred to our habitat as “The Village,” which partially inspired this analogy.
And that’s the parallel being drawn here today, folks.
During the pitched battles you’ll soon read about, getting a straight answer from MJR, McClure (the bureaucrats’ spokesmodel) and the owners; all desperate to keep their plot hidden, often went something like this mental dueling swords exchange from the beginning of each episode:
I am the Number Six character and Mike McClure, MJR’s spinmeister (seen interviewed in the King 5 report) is our Number Two.
Topics: Fighting Back, It's A Good Thing, Marketing Mishaps, Pet Peeves | No Comments »
By Walter