A F*REE electronic magazine... March 26, 2003
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B I G B U C K S I N A B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
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Publisher: Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
" David made over $5 million at home and wants to help
you do the same or more "
Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of the #1 best
selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series
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I n T h i s I s s u e . . .
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1. Feature: The Stay-at-Home CEO Recommends
2. A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
3. Feature: Article
"When Bad News is Good News"
4. Feature: "Ask Dave" - My take on your business problems
"Starting an Internet business"
5. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
"The pond"
6. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
7. Who the heck am I, anyway?
8. How to get on or get off of this list
You are on our list as <$email$>
(To be added/deleted from this list scroll to end for link.)
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS issue to each of your friends who have
small or home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!
(Be sure they know it's from you, or they'll think I sent
it without asking, which is a big no-no!) Thanks!
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(c) Copyright 2003, A Few Good People, Inc. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED.
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11111 The Stay-at-Home CEO Recommends:
According to my recent subscriber survey, many of
you wanted my recommendations on various books
and products.
You can read past recommendations here:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/reviews.htm
(While it is true that I may make small amounts of
money on some of these recommendations, my integrity
is NOT for sale: I would never recommend something I
didn't believe-in 100%, just to make a buck or two.)
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"Big Bucks in a Bathrobe Marketing Tips" Newsletter
... and it's FR'EE
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I am very excited to announce a new newsletter focused on
Internet marketing.
"Big Bucks in a Bathrobe Marketing Tips" will be delivered
to you by email twice a month, containing lots of tips and
tricks that will help you increase your business and exposure
on the Internet.
Read all about it here:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/bbbmt.htm
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Boost Business with Your Own Ezine
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There is no question that an ezine is a terrific
cost-effective way to build customer awareness and loyalty,
and there is also no question that there's a lot more to it
than just typing something up and emailing it.
I have been sending out my ezine for 18 months; I have over
3,200 subscribers in more than 30 countries and I still
learned one heckava lot from this eBook from Alexandria
Brown, "The Ezine Queen."
She walks you through the entire process from conception to
launch to promotion in an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow
style. Good, solid information presented in bite-sized
chunks, with specific examples to make everything crystal
clear.
Whether you are just starting out or have already begun, you
will learn something new from this package, and I highly
recommend it.
---> WARNING: price increase in less than a week!
Effective April 1, Alexandria is raising the price of this
information, so I suggest that you check it out NOW before
the price goes up! (The book is well worth even the new
price, but why spend more than you have to?)
Get more information about this great resource now:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/ezine.htm
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22222 A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
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I recently ordered some special reports on book marketing
that I needed for my new book "Cancer for Two"
( http://www.CancerForTwo.com )
When they arrived, there was a hardcover book in the package
that I hadn't ordered. I looked through the paperwork and
it wasn't mentioned anywhere, and I was puzzled.
Upon inquiring, I discovered that it was a surprise bonus!
Bonuses are good. Bonuses are great! But if you're going
to give one, be sure to let your customer know about it in a
big way so you can get as much mileage out of it as you can!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MIN-E-SEMINAR:
"Secrets of an Actual $5 Million Home Business"
Eight e-mails in eight days that will change the way you run your
small business!
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/secrets/mine1.htm
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33333 A r t i c l e "When Bad News is Good News"
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By Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO(tm)"
I'm working on a new web site for cancer patients and their
partners that will include a free service requiring a
certain amount of special programming. I intend to hire
someone to do it for me.
My ex-wife is in the business of providing programmers that
do that very thing, so I contacted her and she put me in
touch with one of her programmers. On a Thursday we talked
about what I needed; he told me he would get back to me by
Tuesday with some numbers. Sunday morning I got an email
that said, essentially, he had not been able to do all of
the work and that he would need a few more days.
Was I angry that it was taking him longer than he promised?
Heck, no! I was glad that he had told me he would be late
instead of simply sending the numbers when he was good and
ready. Knowing that he would be late, I wouldn't be
depending on getting the information at that time and could
plan accordingly.
I have a good friend that puts together vacation packages
around astronomical events such as eclipses, transits,
meteor showers, etc. He worked for weeks preparing a
catalog of the tours he was offering so he could get them
printed in time to mail so his clients could have them
during the critical weeks in January when people tend to
plan their vacation travel. The printer was short-handed
due to illness and vacations, and the overworked staff that
was available couldn't handle the load; they made lots of
mistakes.
The net result is that his catalogs were printed on the
wrong kind of paper, and were four weeks late! Each time he
called to get a status, he was told it would be a few more
days. He suffered a double-whammy at the hands of that
printer. The catalogs were printed on the equivalent of
newsprint, creating the impression that the catalogs were a
cheap throwaway-type of publication. And, the fact that
they were late meant that my friend's clients wouldn't have
them during the time when they typically make vacation
decisions for the year. Needless to say, his bookings were
way down from what they probably would have been, and it all
may have been prevented if the printer had just been honest
and said that he couldn't get the job done on time. My
friend could then have taken the printing somewhere else and
gotten the catalogs in the mail sooner.
What's the point? If you can't meet the schedule that you
have promised, tell your client as soon as possible! Will
you lose business? Maybe. Losing the job is better than
losing the client, which is the likely scenario if you lie.
On the other hand, you will create tremendous goodwill and
respect from your client, who may not be affected by the
delay as in the previous programming example.
An even better solution than telling your client you will be
late: if your client cannot wait, as in the previous travel
catalog example, turn your bad news into good news by
finding someone else who can help them get their job done on
time.
Give the business to a competitor, Dave?? Have you lost
your mind?
Not at all; it's good business. Look at it this way: if
you give overflow business to your competitor, he may do the
same for you. In fact, you can have a formal or informal
agreement to that effect. That way everyone wins: you win
your customer's respect, the competitor wins the job, and
most importantly, the customer wins because he gets what he
needs on time.
And if your customers don't win, you'll never win.
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44444 "A s k D a v e"
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(Can I help you with a business problem? I will field
business questions in every issue. Send them to
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com )
Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.
Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will help you make "Big Bucks"!
(Maybe not!)
Today's question:
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My wife wishes to start listing her Asian herbal treatment
program on internet. Neither she nor I have any idea how to
do this. We are not computer buffs. Do you have time to
tell us (1) what we need, (2) how to get safely started, (3)
how to do it, (4) and how does it work? Will interested
people ask for the program on internet? How will we be sure
they pay for it before we send it out?
Thanks, P.C. Los Angeles,CA
Dear P.C.
The most important thing for you to remember about
Internet marketing is to learn how to do it right in the
first place. It is imperative that you ignore any and all
ads you get about search engine placement services, bulk
email, "fresh" email addresses, etc. It's crap. There
are a lot of sleazeballs out there and they prey on the
ignorant; believe me when I tell you that there is a right
way and a wrong way.
If you really want to learn how to do it right the first
time, I recommend "The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your
Business on the Internet" from the Internet Marketing
Center and Corey Rudl. It is a complete, 2-volume course
that details everything you have to do and how to do it.
Corey Rudl has made and is still making millions of
dollars selling all kinds of things on the Internet and
has the knowledge, experience, and resources available to
enable you to DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
Be prepared to invest some money, but it will be well
spent. If you spend your investment dollars on the junk I
mentioned above, you will end up investing in Corey anyway
when that junk doesn't work (and it won't). If you don't
give up first, that is.
I suggest you take a serious look at this course before
you invest in anything else.
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/isecrets.htm
Another terrific resource from Corey Rudl is a site where
he interviews the owners of successful Internet businesses
(earning more than $100,000 per year) and reveals exactly
how they do it.
No matter what you do, this will give you a good idea of what
you're getting yourself into!
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/ssecrets.htm
Good luck!
Dave
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55555 "M e a n w h i l e, b a c k at the r a n c h..."
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A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"
(Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )
There is a "pond" in the forest, about 20 minutes' walk from
our house. It's actually a man-made feature from about 50
years ago when logging was a principal activity in this
area.
When full, it is about 20 feet deep and approximately 2
acres of surface area; but due to the terrible drought in
our mountains we've only seen it full once in six years.
Thanks to some pretty good recent storms, though, water has
finally accumulated and, although it is far from
full, it is still a beautiful oasis in the middle of our
beautiful forest. When we ride by, the horses are
drawn to the water and Keno likes to splash around like a
little kid.
Amazingly, thousands of tiny frogs about the size of a
quarter have appeared out of nowhere and are living in the
brush at the water's edge. They are busy making their
"ribbit" noises and the collective sound, when standing
nearby, is so loud that you can't hold a conversation. (If
you get too close, they all sense your presence and stop
within a few seconds of your arrival.)
It may be noisy, but it's a beautiful noisy.
To give you an idea of exactly how loud the frogs are,
consider this: it is windy tonight and there is a wonderful
sound as it blows through the trees, we are about 3/4 of
mile from the pond, and we can STILL hear them from the
deck!
It is truly a symphony of nature: I just love living here.
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66666 A b o u t "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe"
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Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
-You requested it on my website or after seeing me at a
speaking engagement
-I know you personally and thought you'd like it
-I asked you if I could send it and you said "Yes"
-Someone forwarded it to you because they thought you'd
like it.
If you don't want to receive future issues, scroll to the
bottom for instructions on how to be removed from the list.
No harm, no foul, no hurt feelings!
My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
-help you with your small or home-based business
-share articles of interest
-be informal and informative
-answer specific questions asked by readers
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77777 W h o t h e H e c k a m I, A n y w a y ?
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I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own
home-based software business and I have a lot to share with
you about how I did it and what I learned along the way.
Now, as a professional speaker, I offer programs that will
help you and your employees "Make More Money and Have More
Fun" with your small or home-based business!
Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions
of the programs and educational resources that I offer.
The "Big Bucks Boutique" offers resources and materials that
will help you "Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your
business. Take a look at
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm
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88888 H o w to S u b s c r i b e / U n s u b s c r i b e
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Please note:
- This newsletter is sent every other week.
- Comments and suggestions are always welcome!
- Your information is NEVER intentionally shared with
ANYone for ANY reason. PERIOD.
- Contact me at mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com
- HOW TO GET ON OUR LIST: If this issue was forwarded to
you and you would like to receive your own copy (and OF
COURSE you DO!), you can sign-up here:
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A Few Good People, Inc.
P.O. Box 824
Twin Peaks, CA 92391
1-800-366-2347
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