What to do next

Some people shouldn’t be encouraged. There are many ways to fail in any business launch. The info-marketing business is no exception. You can choose a niche that is too large, under research your niche and launch the wrong product, market poorly, market too little or rely too much on joint ventures—and this is just the beginning of the list. Life … Continued

Radio, Newspapers, Trade Journals, Broadcast Television, and Social Media Will Come and Go: Why Membership Will Outlive Them All

The only sustainable business model for dispensing information is membership. Membership transcends media platforms because it’s built on a relationship rather than on a delivery mechanism. But there’s a lot more to membership than gathering your employees together to announce you’ll now refer to your customers as “members.” There are three basic ways media companies support themselves: Advertising We are … Continued

How the worst can come without warning

I had a job for six years. I started as a bookkeeper and quickly became the company’s controller. Within two years, I had become the director of business affairs. Then I bought the business, just six years after joining the firm as a bookkeeper. I used employment as an opportunity to learn as much as possible. I set up the … Continued

Stop Your Members From Quitting With a Transformation

I had the opportunity to meet with the owners of a terrific direct marketing resource. This resource provides a database that would be a useful shortcut to anyone creating advertising online or through email or direct mail. Yet it’s poorly subscribed to and renewals are low. This resource is being marketed as a library. A repository the marketer can refer … Continued

From debt overwhelm to financial freedom

My wife and I were having dinner in our dining room while the news played on the television in the adjacent living room. Although we weren’t paying much attention, one of the teases before a commercial break caught our attention. “Police shoot dog on Eddie Road! Story right after this break.” My wife, Kory, and I looked at each other. … Continued

Are We Witnessing the Death of Free Trial Memberships?

What if you could make twice as much money for every new member you recruited? And, what if you made more money overall from your membership program? That’s what early indications are showing us when you abandon free trial memberships. The idea behind free trial memberships was you’d end up with more long-term members because some people would join for … Continued

Becoming Known for Speaking What They Don’t Want to Hear

Imagine walking into a church just before the service begins, striding up to the front, getting everyone’s attention and proclaiming there is no God. Or—this could get you injured—imagine going to a Veteran’s Day ceremony and telling everyone their service to our country was just another job, like spending four years working at a Chrysler plant. How are you going … Continued

Attracting New Members with a With Delegation Tools

Before I created and sold information products, I delivered consulting services for many years. Most projects required strategic planning; some entailed creating systems and business process; and others involved marketing. While the projects varied in scope, they had one thing in common: The business owner always thought his or her employees were the problem. I was brought in to train … Continued

Retain Members Longer by Engagement with Your Team

Imagine you’re signing up for a new membership when you’re suddenly told you’re about to be connected with “customer service.” What image comes to mind? Is it the bad service you’ve received from other customer service departments in the past? Are you about to be delegated to the poorest trained, newest employee in the company? Now that you’ve finished your … Continued