by Larry Wack, Ryanna's Hope
,br>"I'm making $500 weekly with your information . . I wish I knew about this business 30 years ago." Ed, Chicago, Il.
The above testimonial is a true one and at the time it came, I was certain at that point that the information was a seller. It didn't really take Ed's comments to convince me of that, since I knew the information was good for one reason; I was already doing it. But it was good to hear it from the customer's and the testimonials that followed over the last couple of years enhanced sales,
The idea of selling "information" is not a new one. Many of our readers are doing it all the time. But many are also selling someone else's material written perhaps a long time ago, and obviously out of date too. The Net and mail-order in general is filled with outdated information that supposedly makes you money.
So you may ask, "Where is the money in selling information? "I'm not a writer per se, so do I have 2 strikes against me?"
Without going into a lengthy article on all the "politically correct" ways to go about selling the written product, let me try to answer the questions above, and make some sense of the mad world of selling information. From experience I can tell you this: "It works for me."
WRITING A MONEY MAKING BOOKLET OR REPORT
Let's take some "given" facts in this scenario - some truths - and some observations. We'll put it all together and give you the bottom line to selling information:
There are millions upon millions out there on the Internet and in mail-order who want to make extra money. Thus, with that a known fact, there are millions who could potentially buy.
They are cautious about buying since they've been "burned" many times before. They want reliability, someone they can deal with on a "personal basis" and a product that, most importantly, will work.
"Believability" will be your crucial sales mechanism. Deceive them one time and your game is over.
CHOOSING THE SUBJECT
The best profits are in a book, booklet or reports that you can write and sell yourself.
If most of us take a very close look at ourselves - at our past, or even at the present there's a good chance you're already doing something that you know will interest others. There is "some knowledge of something" that has a likelihood of being able to be sold. You may, for example, know of some special gardening technique that made your tomatoes explode this summer.
I recently spoke to a fellow in Florida who cleans pools for another agency. Opens them - closes them etc. I asked him, "Do you have any idea how much knowledge you have that people might want to buy?" "People who would rather close their own pool, then pay someone to do it?" He was baffled by the thought. It never crossed his mind.
Perhaps you're already doing something at work part time or full time and you've realized that you have become well versed in it, and you can sell the "how to do it" when you get the gumption to commit it to paper.
The real secret to writing is simple: Write about something you're well versed in. First of all, it all comes very easy to you and you can write in such a manner that your words are 'believable."
The downside of writing about a subject where your knowledge is limited, is the fact that customers will recognize you're "guessing" in some areas or they may - if familiar with the subject - catch you in outright lies or bogus facts. Once this happens, your "credibility" is severely scarred. And "credibility" will make you or break you!
WHAT THEY WANT TO READ
From my own experience, I want to make this perfectly clear: in selling information that you have written, customers could care less whether you "end your sentences with prepositions." My high school English teacher would probably destroy me today if he saw my writings. But the fact that they make money would kill him. While I needed to abide by the "rules of English language" in high school to get by at report card time, the customer of the 90's whose looking to buy information could really care less.
Customers in general want something for their money. They want "honesty," and they want "something that is true," - something that will really work for them.
A QUICK CASE HISTORY
From doing part time selling of printing - and making money on the side - I managed to get a full idea of how the business works, plus more importantly, I managed to very simply develop my own sources. It took a little while to accomplish this, but in hindsight it was easy. It can be done in many other businesses.
After realizing that (1) there is good part time or full time money in the printing business and (2) others could do it from home with no machines, I decided to go an extra step: Write a booklet on how to do it and sell the information.
Not being versed in writing, I at least had some of the simple selling ingredients. I was writing about a subject I was clear on, and I knew for a fact that the information was good and would make people money. I knew that this was a 100% bonafide home business.
Taking the experience and the information I had, and with no experience in writing except some business articles, I decided to write in the manner that I most believed: write the thing "from the heart," and don't worry about "ending with prepositions" or beginning sentences with "and or but."
The result was a booklet called "Cash Making You've Never Seen." And to this day it sells and to this day the information it contains is still dynamite!
FORGET THE PUBLISHERS AND THE AGENTS - GET GOING!
Everyone reading this article has ideas. I'm willing to bet everyone reading this has something to sell to some audience out there.
And I'm willing to be you can do it without the aid of publishers and agents who will want a "piece of the action."
How? Let's summarize:
1) Write about something you are totally familiar with.
2) Write about something that will make or save people money.
3) Write from the heart and don't worry right now about what you're English teacher will say. He or she won't be controlling your profits, your customers will and believe me, most won't care!
WANT MORE?
Ryanna's has self published 7 booklets and over 35 business articles for entrepreneurs. Write them for money making report information.
Ryanna's Hope, 9126 State Road, Colden, NY 14033
Their most popular booklet and self made business is available to you at their site located at the following address: http://home.sprintmail.com/~rypublish/
