The Arbitrage Conspiracy site was supposed to launch yesterday at 3pm Pacific time and when I got to the site, it said that the sales page wouldn’t be available until “EXACTLY” 3pm.

So, since it WAS already 3pm, I waited a couple minutes and refreshed.

Same message.

I continued with some work I was doing and then went back to the page about a half hour later. Refreshed. Same Message.

An hour later, refresh. Then there was a “we’re having technical difficulties, sorry for the delay” message.

You’d think that with all the heavy-hitters involved with this launch that they would’ve had enough resources available to not only have all their ducks in a row, but have the ducks performing like F-18’s in attack formation!

About 3 or so hours after the scheduled launch, they announced that they were going to delay by 21 hours.

Now, you haven’t heard a word out of me concerning the Arbitrage Conspiracy until now and for a good reason.

I had planned on evaluating the package, as I do with any product, before mentioning it.

I’ll admit that I was definitely intrigued by what little information they had released during pre-launch and even though one of my clients had attended their $10,000 one-day workshop, they were sworn to “secrecy” and couldn’t share!

After viewing the video on the site and reading the Arbitrage Conspiracy Report, I was a bit skeptical, but still interested in the product.

My main concern was that in the report, they mentioned that you could get started for as little as $5 a day, but later mentioned multiple campaigns costing $2500+ per day.

If you know anything about Adwords, even if you’re bidding on words that cost a few cents per click, $5 would be gone within an hour or so.

So, I went and signed up as an affiliate anyways, just in case.

Once inside, there was contact information for their affiliate manager and I immediately tried to contact him.

I was hoping to get early access to the product for review. I would have been willing to pay for it, but never heard back.

Why am I telling you this? A couple reasons.

First….

Because they have said that they’re ‘only releasing 500 copies’ of this system and I needed to get in early so that I would have enough time to review the product and tell you what I thought about it.

Unfortunately, I will be teaching a class today at 3pm Pacific and I won’t be “at the ready” to refresh the page and purchase.

So, if you’re reading this before then, you might want to go and download the report and watch the video for yourself.

You can download it here: Arbitrage Conspiracy Report

Second….

I want you to learn a lesson from this.

Instead of going ahead with the launch and having a BUNCH of pissed off customers and/or affiliates because the system wasn’t working properly, they held off.

Sure, people were disappointed when the site wasn’t open and I’m sure that there were a couple people that were mad about it, but disappointed is WAY better than having to deal with refunds and lost commissions.

Now, I don’t know what the problem was exactly, but I do know that they did the right thing.

My point is, don’t ever be afraid to delay a launch if you’re having technical problems.

This doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfect either.

There will always be small issues to deal with during and after a launch, but if it’s something major (and I’m sure it was), don’t shoot yourself in the foot by launching anyways, just to open on time!

And third….

The downside is for affiliates that scheduled promotions according to their launch.

I got emails all afternoon telling me that “It’s Live!” go now before it’s sold out!

But, if you’ve done your job as an affiliate by creating a relationship with your subscribers, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. They’ll understand that it wasn’t your fault and as long as you’ve done your homework and haven’t referred them to a piece of crap product, it will be a no harm, no foul situation.

There are three main reasons why it is important to know, document, and utilize essentially an electronic Rolodex of online resources.

1) Save time - The first and largest factor of utilizing an online Rolodex of resources is to save time. How many times have you went to add a script to your website only to have to waste 30 minutes searching for the script? When you cannot find a resource at the appropriate time, you are subjecting yourself and your business to inefficiencies that lead to lost production.

2) Save money - When you know where to find your resources it will keep you from “Googling” to find a resource and from getting hooked on someone’s sales page. About the time that you need a specific resource and cannot find it, the next obvious step is to search Google for that or a similar resource. Just record your resource links to avoid this time wasting and money spending activity!

3) Improved products - It takes time and money to buy resources. When you’ve purchased something once……don’t waste time looking for alternatives or waste money purchasing competitor’s products. Focus on the resources that you do have - use them daily and become an expert in the application of those resources. Over time, your products will improve due to the consistency of use and of the resources that you use to complete daily tasks!

Overall, it is important to record your online resources for quick and efficient reference. By doing so, you’ll improve business efficiencies leading to saved time and money!

You can download 10 step-by-step “Visual Rolodexes” for free by visiting:

http://www.ResourceCashmaps.com

If you downloaded the Productivity Report the other day, you would have seen that there was a recommended resource listed at the end of it.

It was created by someone that gets hired by Fortune 100 Companies to show them how they can be more productive, so I’m sure he can teach you a thing or two!

His name is Brad Semp and he’s the mastermind behind Resource Cashmaps.

And in case you didn’t download the report or “think” you don’t need it, here’s the link:

http://www.EmailCashmaps.com

I met Brad at JV Alert in Philly during a lunch presentation he did and I was immediately intrigued by what he had to say.

In fact, his presentation took him longer than expected and when his time was up, everyone in the room voted to let him continue, rather than get up and return to the seminar!

When he was finished, I happily handed him my order form to be involved in a $500 private webinar series that he conducted over the summer.

So go and grab your free Resouce Cashmaps and, at the very least, visit and bookmark the Email Cashmaps website. You’ll need them eventually!

Have a prosperous day!

These are essential, yes. But here’s one that most people leave out: Creating a productive workspace. Here’s how you can create your own:

~~> Create a cone of silence. If you’re constantly interrupted by the phone, the door, emails and your child’s questions, you’ll never get anything finished. You need to clear out the distractions and create a “cone of silence” in your workspace.

If you’re doing work at home and there are others living in the house, it’s next to impossible to have a completely distraction-free day. As an alternative, schedule specific times of day where family members and friends aren’t allowed to interrupt you. Explain that it’s no different than if you worked at an office.

~~> Clear up the clutter. Your idea of clean is someone else’s idea of clutter. And that’s all right. The idea here isn’t to create a workspace that meets another persons idea of clutter-free. Instead, you should create a workspace that’s organized in a way that you can find things quickly.

If that means using milk crates instead of a filing cabinet, so be it. As long as you can quickly get to the items you want when you need them – and as long as you’re at ease with how your workspace looks – then that’s all that matters.

Personally, I like to have things around me within an arm’s reach. I place small piles on the floor so I can spin around in my chair and grab them.

I once went on a month long trip, attending seminars around the country and came home to find that my wife decided to “tidy things up” for me. It took me a month to get things “back to normal”.

Create a workspace for yourself, not to impress someone else.

~~> Make your workspace “yours”. That means putting up pictures, memorabilia or anything else that makes you feel like this is your space. I’m a big NASCAR fan, so my wife calls my office, “The Race Room”!

If there are other people in the house, simply ask that this space be yours. I joke with my friends that I only own two rooms in my house. The office, which I share with an alligator and the kitchen. The rest belongs to my wife!

If your workspace doesn’t make you feel creative and energetic, then you’ll need to make some changes. It can be as easy as making sure it’s the right color or that you have enough light.

Making small changes like these could mean a world of difference to your productivity!

I’ve created another report that you can download for free, just click the link below.

Productivity Report Download

Enjoy! And have a “productive” weekend!

If you do decide to make a resolution you may want to find someone to help keep you motivated and hold you accountable. Most people try to lose some weight. It is very common for some to start the weigh-loss program, but then they shortly lose interest. You’ll need to sit down and think about what it will take for you to make the goal a success. This may mean that you’ll have to gain a partnership with a close friend or you may have to find the self-control to keep focused.

To make one of these resolutions realistic, you’ll need to think small. You’ll also need to come up with some sort or plan using the success of milestones to help push you further. There’s a lot of motivation to be developed concerning this type of goal, but you need to have the self-discipline to stick with it. You can’t allow yourself to give up even if that is all you can think about.

It’s also important that you have support from your family and friends. You’ll find that it’s very important because you’re going to need a pep talk every now and then. Most people find resolutions scary because they know they can do it, but they’re afraid to prove it to themselves.

Don’t let your next New Year’s Resolution to go down hill before you have even started working towards the goal!

Download my free “Setting Your Goals” report and worksheet!

Click here to download

The most important tip for reaching goals is to use reminders regularly. Reminders will make it easier for you to update your advancement and remain on the right track. You can write yourself little notes so that you can recall what you want to be done. Without reminders to help you remember what your goals are, you’ll most likely forget about what your original goal was in the first place and this is will make it harder for you to get where you desire to be.

Be precise with your goal. If you’re goal setting, it’s important to recognize and understand what you would like to achieve. You need to make certain that you’re clear on what you would like to do and how you would like to do it. When you’re sure about what you want you’ll be better able to create your goals and make them more realistic. This is going to help you get to where you want to be in a shorter time limit.

Keeping the stress out of your life is important. You need to make certain that you’re doing everything that you can to keep stress out of your life. Once you have less stress, you’re going to make your goals a lot easier to achieve. If you have stress in your life, you’re sure to be too anxious and this will make it harder for you to achieve your goals.

Be proud of yourself when you’re able to achieve a goal. You should take great victory in the goals that you achieve. You’ll find it to be something that makes you happy and it will also give you the motivation to make more goals and to try your best to achieve them. It’s a great feeling and you want to be proud of the hard work that you’ve done to make them happen.

Remember that goals are important to have for almost anything.

The more goals that you have means the harder you have to work. However, the achievements that you make and the feeling that you get when you do them is going to be all the reward that you’ll need to do more goal setting. Take advantage of the goal setting tips you find and make them work for you.

Download my free “Setting Your Goals” report and worksheet!

Click here to download

Affiliate Marketing was not exempted, either.

The most classic mistake people tend to make in affiliate marketing is not capturing the opt-in leads first before sending their visitors to the merchant’s website.

So what smart marketers often do is that they would have their own Squeeze Page for the visitors to opt into their list, before sending them to the website they are an affiliate for.

This is so the affiliate marketer can build his own opt-in list and do his follow-ups later.

A few but exceptionally smarter marketers, on the other hand, take this to the next level.

THEY IMPLEMENT VIDEO MARKETING, TOO.

You probably notice most top Internet Marketing experts are now using videos on their Squeeze Pages. And smarter affiliates are also doing the same for their own, for one obvious reason:

VIDEOS CAN SKYROCKET YOUR TRAFFIC AND SALES CONVERSIONS!

Unfortunately, the problem with video marketing is that to begin with, you have to know how to make your own videos.

And even if you could do your own videos, what if you learn that the affiliate program doesn’t convert well for you after all?

Affiliate Power Videos remove all these barriers.

http://www.affiliatespowervideos.com

At Affiliate Power Videos, you get 10 unique, high converting Video Squeeze Pages, and 5 new ones every month.

So all you have to do is:

Step 1: join any or all of the listed affiliate programs (free)

Step 2: Upload the video and squeeze pages to your web host

Step 3: Start driving in traffic, build your opt-in list and rake in affiliate sales!

You might be thinking that this is going to be a costly monthly membership - maybe $97, $197 or even $297 a month.

You’re going to be in for a pleasant surprise — this one’s on the house (read: zero cost)!

Here it is again:

http://www.affiliatespowervideos.com

Sign up for your free Silver membership access now and don’t delay - because I know you could very well have your own string of affiliate video businesses up and running by tonight, with or without any techical experience on your part!

Adios,

Jeffrey Levesque
The Affiliate Mechanic

Have you ever been confronted by individuals, asking you to join their gym, their video store, their charity or their phone service?

Of course you have. We all have at some point.

And the main question you ask these people is “why?” Why should I join your gym? Why should I spend money on your product? Why should I choose your service over the competition?

These are the exact same questions your potential customers will be asking themselves. What makes your membership site better? What can I expect for my money? What can you offer that others will not?

Your business depends on your answers.

This is why a USP is of utmost importance when pitching your membership site.

So, what is a USP?

A USP is the unique selling proposition, the benefit you can deliver that is not offered by any of the competitors. It is what gives you the extra edge, what makes your website unique, what makes your website valuable. It is one of the fundamentals of effective marketing business.

Spending that extra time and effort discovering the best USP is vital to your business. However, if you’re having trouble or need a little extra advice, then check out Membership Sites Made Easy which can guide you into making the most money possible, starting with creating the perfect USP.

After all, we could all use a little help getting started.

Give your prospects another reason to join your site

Have you heard that the hardest part of starting your own business, whether on or offline, is attracting customers?

Well, it is.

But it doesn’t have to be the hardest part. In fact, it can be made relatively simple. All you need to do is give your prospects reasons to join your site.

You’ve already set up the perfect unique selling point to enhance your website and ensure your customers that your membership site is the one for them. But now they want more.

And so, you have to give them more.

One of the best ways to prove to your potential customers that your website is the perfect choice is through social proof. People want to be shown that your membership site is worth their money.

And people trust other people, especially those who have tried, tested and continue to use the product or service.

So you need to offer them the proof they want. Testimonials and endorsements from existing customers work wonders. Potential customers like to relate to someone, especially someone who shares their passion.

Try before and after pictures, screen shots and videos if you are promoting a product that guarantees change.

Finally, make use of graphs, statistics and charts to endorse your website and give your customers facts they can easily see and understand.

Oral, visual and factual evidence that your website is truly the best out there will convince the customers to join and keep the paychecks coming in.

The secret of getting more customers without getting more traffic

As a new membership site manager, you’re well on your way to a successful online business. You’ve created the best website in its field. You’ve attracted your potential customers to your site. You’ve created the perfect USP and credible social proof.

So, now what?

How do you get your potential customers to actually sign up and join the membership site?

It’s all about conversion rates.

So, what’s a conversion rate exactly? Essentially, it’s the percentage of visitors to your web site who take the desired action of purchasing a membership. The higher the conversion rate, the more residual income and the higher those monthly pay cheques will be!

In order to get the most customers, you need to make it impossible to resist signing up for your site.

And the first way to do this is with a strong sales letter headline. You need to grab people’s attention and keep them on your site. The headline must be catchy, unique and eye grabbing.

You can use a thought provoking question or an outrageous comment. Some headlines even contain rude comments to anger the readers just enough that they want to read on.

Put in some extra time and play around with different approaches. Get the opinions of your friends and family and see which headline reels you in and won’t let you go.

No matter what type of business you are in, you need customers to buy the product or service to make you money. Without customers where would you be? Nowhere right?

But you already knew that. In fact, you’ve mastered the art of customer attraction. You’re website gets thousands of hits a day with visitors, and potential clients.

You don’t need to get more traffic (although more visitors to the site most likely equal more sales).

Instead work with the visitors you already have.

The previous email called attention to the importance of a strong sales letter headline, something attention grabbing and unique that will make your readers continue on.

The next step to increasing conversion rates is a powerful call-of-action.

So what is a call-of-action? It’s simply a call of action. It’s the time in your sales pitch when you call on your potential customers to take action.

Call now! Enrol Today! Buy Immediately!

You can use something as simple as “order now” or as elaborate as a seven-step plan of action. However, you must inform your potential customer that now’s the time to take that extra step into action.

Suggest your call-to-action early in your copy. In fact, bring it up several times. Remind your visitors how and why to take action right then and there.

A sales letter headline that demands the visitor’s attention is the cake.
A call-of-action that screams to your customers is the icing.

But now you need the cherry on top.

And a low-priced or free trial offer is just that - the perfect topping to an already irresistible membership site deal.

Offer your clients a free introductory membership for joining. Or, offer your clients 50% off the first two months with a one-year contract. Anything like this sweetens the deal and makes your membership site even more tempting.

People love knowing they got a deal so make them feel special when signing up for your membership site.

Just keep in mind that, in order to keep your customers paying each month, after the trial period and free offer is over, you must use forced continuity. Ensure they continue to pay after their trial is over. Make is easier for a customer to continue their membership rather than cancelling it.

Besides, after they look around your website, why would they want to cancel anyway?

Secrets of customer retention

Stop. Take a breath. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for just a moment. You are not a manager of a membership site anymore. You are a customer searching your monthly website.

Now, relax for a moment and think.
If you were a customer, what things would you come to expect?

Quality, up-to-date content?
Most definitely.

Reliable and knowledgeable articles?
Of course.

Entertaining information every month?
Without a doubt.

Good. Now, step back into your own shoes of a membership site manager. The above elements are vital to your success. However, it’s what your clients are not expecting that is even more valuable.

In fact, it’s what your customers are not expecting that keep them happily paying and fully satisfied with your site.

The secrets of customer retention begin with surprise over-delivering. Unadvertised bonuses, occasional extra freebies and customer reward points are all unexpected surprises that will wow your customers.

Letting them know that they are appreciated and rewarding them with surprise additives will boost your member’s mood towards your site. In fact, over-delivering is a proven method to show your customers that you really do care.

After all, it’s the little extra that makes a world of difference.

You’ve got the website up and running.
You’ve got the marketing method down to perfection.
You’ve got the customers wanting more and more each and every month.
So now you can just sit back, relax and watch the money roll in, right?

Well, not quite.

Although the hard part is over, you still need to retain your customers. You still need to keep them hungry for content and satisfied with what you deliver.

So, how do you do that?

With a continual membership program.

Most people like the idea of a goal and to know how long until a membership runs out. When you work towards this goal, your members are less likely to cancel. Instead of an open-ended membership, set up memberships that last for a certain time. A year perhaps? Maybe six months? It’s up to you.

Each month during that time, choose content that works up to the final month when your customers’ contracts end. At the end of the year offer them a free month or a bonus to continue on.

It’s great for you as the manager because you know your members will continue to pay. It’s also great for them because they know what they expect to pay and are not left with the decision to continue their membership each month.

To learn more about the topic and to make the most of your new business, read what the experts say:

Membership Sites Made Easy
Jeffrey Levesque
The Affiliate Mechanic

But can you really build a business around selling other people’s products?

Yes. And no.

The truth of the matter is, there is a specific formula that can lead to success if you decide to base your business around selling affiliate products.

But if you do it wrong, you may never make more than enough to cover your Internet connection and telephone costs each month.

Why is there such a huge disparity between the really successful affiliate marketers (those who make several thousand dollars each and every month) and those who are barely eking out a living?

Like with any business, it all boils down to creating solid systems that are scalable and can be duplicated to bring income from as many different sources as possible.

Here are some things to keep in mind when getting started:

Start with one product. Do your research. Find a market with a product that people want and are buying. Set up a system for promoting that product. (Think article writing, white papers, case studies, product reviews, e-books, workbooks, etc.)
Find additional and complimentary products or services that you can sell after you’ve started making a profit with the first one.

Create a squeeze page where you can collect names of people who want to find out more about the affiliate product or niche market.

Drive traffic to your Squeeze Page and offer them valuable information in exchange for their contact information.

Create a way to keep in touch with the people on your list, and continue to promote the additional products to them over time – but make sure that you’re offering good solid information to them as well, to help build your credibility and their loyalty.

Once you’ve got your first affiliate product selling well, it’s time to start cross selling and upselling. This may take you from a few weeks to several months – but like any other business, it’s important that you are willing to spend the time and money necessary to build your affiliate business.

As soon as you’ve got the first product and cross sells operating at a profit, you can expand. For example, you could go into another complimentary niche. Or, I you want something a little more advance (and this one is a trick used by some of the Internet Marketing gurus in many different niches), go into competition with yourself.

That may sound a little crazy – but think of it this way: by competing against yourself – especially if you’re able to grab onto the two of the top five positions – you’re really just giving yourself a bigger piece of the pie!

If you’re the type who gets bored easily, or is always looking for a new challenge, you might want to go into a totally new niche. Find something that doesn’t have anything to do with your first niche.

Whatever you decide to do, just make sure that you’re following the proven formula for success. Build each product or niche until it becomes profitable before moving on to the next one.

After that, you can just “lather, rinse and repeat” to your heart’s content – and you’ll be able to watch your bank balance grow too!

Visit Viral Ebook Explosion Today!

In case the name Vince Tan is not yet ringing any bells with you, this is the guy that pulled off one of the biggest firesales of 2007, doing $69,000 in sales in a mere 7 days.

Yes, he came out of nowhere and racked up the kind of sales that some never accomplish after years of being online.

He proved that it you WANT it you can do it. In fact, Vince became quite the inspiration for many a marketer who never thought this kind of fast online success to be possible.

So, here’s why we’re talking about this now, in 2008. you see, Vince is going to do it again, this time shooting for 6 or even SEVEN figures with NO out of pocket expenses!

Vince has made it his personal goal to show that ANYONE that wants to accomplish this kind of success online can do it, regardless of how much money they have OR don’t have to start with.

Vince’s firesale will go live on 18th November, BUT for now, you stand a chance to win the complete firesale package plus some other extra stuff worth $1,500 (or more!) by going to the site below and guessing the total value of the firesale package! And also a $47 instant gift waiting for you there if you join now.

Remember, that’s 100+ top IM products that are currently selling in the market Today!

Of course I’ve already put in my guess!

Click Here to Enter!

Vince has already managed to get over 100 Top Marketers to join forces on this, again, without spending any of his own money, so you really should follow this closely, and be on the lookout for the official launch on November 18th, 2008.

Click Here to Enter!

It’s one of the primary rules of the game: always choose the right – if not the best – affiliate program out there.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

With tens of thousands of affiliate programs in existence today, scrutinizing each and every one of them can be quite a chore.

Warning Signs Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Nonetheless, there are clear cut signs of a bad affiliate program. Let’s take a look at them:

• Offering a product that is of inferior quality. This product may fill a need somewhere, but because of its poor quality, refund requests will pour in. You may be able to refer some sales, but the refunds will take away your commissions. Worse, you might lose credibility amongst your prospects for leading them to a bad product.

• Offering a product that is difficult to sell. This is self-explanatory. You won’t be able to realize your commissions if the product you’re tasked to pre-sell is a “hard sell.”

• The affiliate program has a history of failing to pay its affiliates. Nothing is more frustrating than working for something, but being deprived of the rewards for some reason or another.

• The affiliate program has a dubious history in its dealing with its clients and partners.

• The affiliate program is struggling when it comes to its finances.

• The affiliate program is being operated by a person or persons who are quite hesitant to introduce themselves.

If these signs are present, do take heed.

Remember, there are a lot of other choices out there… options which will prove to be better for your interests.

Characteristics Of The Right Affiliate Program

So, we already know what to avoid.

Now it’s time to discuss what to look for in an affiliate program.

• A hot-selling product. Personally, this is my number one concern. I will not be able to earn as an affiliate if I cannot pre-sell any products, right? Hence, I always look for programs offering products that have a proven value in a particular market, or at the very least, products which offer a lot of promise.

• Gratuitous commission scheme. This is secondary only to the factor above. The minimum commission rate for me is 50%. Anything lower may take more consideration. This shouldn’t be a problem though, as most affiliate programs offer 50% commission per sale these days.

• A program that is well known for its credibility. Who would want to associate themselves with flash-in-the-pan, fly-by-night establishments, right? You want to be a winner? Stick with a winner! You will need to rely on recommendations and your own exercise of due diligence to find such an affiliate program.

• A program that has an excellent post-sales service. In affiliate marketing, refund requests are your enemies. You may be led to believe that you have bagged a sale, but if a refund is requested later on, you won’t get any commission. A program that has excellent post-sales support will be able to minimize such requests, and consequently, will be able to protect your interests.

Commission Rate Vs. Salability

A lot of potential affiliates are in a state of quandary when it comes to the choice of joining an affiliate program that offers a high commission rate per sale for a slow-selling product and a lower commission rate for a high- selling product.

The answer, of course, is to choose the latter.

A product may be selling for $100, and the program offers you 80% commission, or $80 per sale. But if that product is not sellable, you’ll never be able to see some earnings.

Another product may be selling for $50, and the program offers you 50% commission, or $25 per sale. The product is a proven seller. You will earn more with this system than the previous one.

In choosing an affiliate program to join, always choose one which has highly sellable products because you’ll never be wrong with such.

How Many Affiliate Programs Can You Join?

Since affiliate programs are regarded as supplementary earning opportunities, you are not bound by exclusivity.

You are not limited to just one affiliate program.

You can join as many as you like. There is absolutely no limit as to how many affiliate programs you enroll with.

But here’s the deal….

Yes, you can join hundreds of affiliate programs, if you wish, but will you be able to concentrate on all of them? Each campaign for a particular offering of a particular program requires your time and effort. Will you be able to handle hundreds of demands just as easily?

There is no bar as to how many affiliate programs you can join.

The only restriction is one of efficiency. You’ll be more productive if you concentrate on two or three programs throughout your affiliate marketing career.