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030: Three Proven Internet Business Models That Make Money (Amazon FBA, Fixed-Term Membership Sites, and Facebook Fan Pages)

Please listen to the latest Robert Plank Show podcast right away to discover three easy money making methods using the Internet:

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Can you please leave a comment below and tell me: what is your favorite way of making money online? (it doesn't have to be one of the methods listed in today's show)

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There’s No Need to Be Disappointed About Making Money Online: You’re Right!

I have some very important news for you today and that's:

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Let me explain. There's something I'm sure you've seen that we can call "internet marketing irony" and that's what happens when:

  • You buy this thing called "private label rights" and outsell the product originator, only to have them get angry at you for outselling -- this happened all the time years ago when I got my start (jealousy)
  • Other internet marketers seem to get upset when you do things like: mailing your list, following up, running pitch webinars, charging higher prices... you know, this thing called "marketing" (inner conflict)
  • You see someone promoting a "product creation" course when they only have one product, a "book creation" course when you can't find their book, a "selling on Amazon" product when they aren't selling anything on Amazon (re-teaching what they barely know instead of implementing)
  • Posting questions like, "I want to use this webinar service but I need something that can handle 10,000 guests..." Or, "I want to use this autoresponder service but I need something that holds 1,000,000 subscribers" (chest beating, they don't have 1 million subscribers)

Let's just call it what it is...
Entertainment... a SOAP OPERA!

If you spend too much time with the indecisive, negative, bitter, unmotivated people of the world then they will drag you down to their level... it's true...

I'm NOT saying you shouldn't help people. I post in public areas here and there and I definitely monitor what others are doing because I want to stay "in touch..."

But when "they" are getting too negative, you need to identify when criticism becomes complaining and shut that off... complaining means, the same negative message on repeat with no "real" solution.

"You are what you are and where you are
because of what has gone into your mind.

You can change what you are and where you are
by changing what goes into your mind."- Zig Ziglar

I'm not going to ask you something cheesy like, "What if the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, the founder of UPS, Colonel Sanders, etc... had given up when they first started?

Do you remember when you first got started online? Chances are most people told you it was a bad idea, or you even had to keep it a secret from several people...

I listened to the wrong people for a long time (the ones that told me I should stay at my day job) and I remember being ANGRY that I had to get a mortgage. My "favorite guru" at the time bragged about buying a home in cash (he now lives in a small apartment).

Problem: Vicious Cycle of
Negativity & Self-Doubt

I'll admit... I was one of those NEGATIVE people! I was a teenager, coding this and that plugin while I saw all these "rich guys" create autoresponder services, web hosting companies, heck, one guy made a plugin that added a visitor's first name to a web page, he sold tons of copies at $99 all day long. I thought... this guy has to be stopped... why won't people see? I spent all kinds of time posting about my "cause"... until one day I realized I was spending all my time tearing others DOWN instead of building something UP.

  • If someone keeps dragging you down, day in and day out, they've gotta go... I'm sorry but you know deep down who they are
  • If you find yourself being too negative for too long, maybe you need to unsubscribe from a few lists (not mine of course), unfriend a few people on Facebook (I have 245 people on my block list and way more I've unfriended or unfollowed) -- it's ok to check in on them on YOUR terms, but don't let THEM interrupt YOU
  • Move closer towards the people you want to be like -- those people with successful businesses that make money

As an internet marketer (even if you are in some other niche and you are MARKETING on the INTERNET, you're still an "internet marketer") you should be aware of what others are doing. You should WANT to be sold to. You should PAY ATTENTION to what gets you to click and buy...

Solution: Ask Better Questions

The saddest thing is when I see an internet marketer (sometimes a subscriber but not always) say something like:

  • They hate those "long ugly sales pages" (that they buy from anyway)
  • They get "bombarded" with emails (that they chose to subscribe to and that they buy from anyway)
  • They hate those "pitch webinars" where evil marketers try to sell them something -- in that case, I hope you also don't watch TV (commercials), go to the movies (previews), drive a car (radio and billboards), read magazines (print ads), or browse web pages or Facebook (sidebar ads)... you should look at it as an opportunity to GROW your business by getting the ideas all around you and seeing what works (and what doesn't)

Doesn't it make sense that if you ask better questions of yourself (like "what's good about this?") then you'll get better answers, which you'll be able to use to solve your current problems (like "what price do I charge?") to get better problems (like "now how do I handle all these online sales?")

You're right either way. If you "THINK" it's all a scam, and that there are too many issues to sort out with this internet marketing stuff, you're right. If you KNOW you'll do what needs to be done (and that's not necessarily more hours or "hard work") then you'll do it. You'll make that optin page, sales letter, membership site, and start sending traffic, adjusting, and making sales.

If the usual mentors you think about (Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump) started over from scratch, do you think they would "play around" with graphics, domain names, and which WordPress them and plugins to use... OR... do you think they would set something up that's good enough and adjust from there?

I'm curious to know in the comments below... what mistakes do you see other marketers making, especially in the products they put out? And what can you learn from their mistakes?

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029: Productivity Hacks of the Ultra-Successful

Tune in to today's Robert Plank Show podcast to figure out how to get more in less time, enjoy what you do and easily get everything done that you need to make money... topics covered...

  • Are you Kanye West or William Shatner? (huge distinction in your marketing)
  • How to separate out your sparks, maintenance tasks, and money generating activities
  • The only time management system that's worked for me (hint: it involves throwing out your whiteboard and your to-do list)
  • The real secret to creating a lot of money making "stuff" (batching)
  • And more

"Productivity Hacks" FREE Report

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So be sure to listen to today's podcast episode and leave a quick comment below answering me this:

"What's your BEST productivity hack to get more out of your day?"

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Amazon FBA Seller Income: The Secrets of Retail Arbitrage and Private Label Sourcing That “They” Don’t Want You to Know

There's this thing called the Amazon Seller program that I've been using for the past 30 days to make a "side income." As an internet marketer, it's super important to have multiple streams of income...

  • There are only so many people in your niche to buy your products
  • There are only so many people willing to join your monthly program
  • There are only so many people who will use your software
  • Only so many people are the "right fit" for your coaching program and so on...

Let's go mass-market. Amazon Seller is different from their Kindle program (digital books), CreateSpace (physical books), and WAY different than their affiliate program (promote Amazon products for 5%) so let's not get it confused with that...

This is a lot like eBay minus the "auction" and "bidding" part of it. You say I have THIS for sale at THIS price. You can usually just add yourself as a seller on one of their existing products. For example, you have a copy of the Four Hour Work Week around the house (as I had several copies), you list it in New or Used condition with the price you want to sell it for (shipping is added on).

2014-04-14 17.00.41

When it sells, Amazon emails you and says... here is the shipping label to print out, put that item you just sold into a box and mail it.

Heck, the FIRST time we looked into the Amazon Seller program was to sell physical copies of our home study courses. Because technically, you could combine a printed manual and DVD set in a cardboard box, buy your own UPC code for $1.99 and sell a physical product (in a box) of your course as an Amazon product. But let's not get too off-track with the possibilities...

Many people have been able to turn this Amazon Seller method into a full time income (you can scale it to the point where your items sit in Amazon's warehouse and they handle the shipping as things are sold). You can get your own physical products private labeled (outsourced)...

What "They" Tell You

I'm not in the business of trash talking any other internet marketers, but the DANGER is that over the past few months I've seen one marketer tell you to sell supplements using Amazon's program... I wouldn't do this without a quality control process and without a lawyer...

Another marketer claims to make $100,000 per month when I heard around the grapevine he spends $100,000 per month on ads... so he's breaking even in order to get that screenshot to then sell you a course on "how he did it"... not good.

And still another marketer pitched a course showing a so-called "Amazon listing" of a product he had created. A couple problems: one, I searched his company name and product name on Amazon, no results. Another issue is the listing he showed had a 3D DRAWING (computer rendering) of the item that was selling instead of the item that was selling. When was the last time you saw something on Amazon with a cartoon instead of a picture of the real product? You don't. It's against Amazon's rules...

Four Real Ways to Do It

Let's not allow a few dishonest marketers ruin it. There are tons of people making money as Amazon Sellers and you personally deserve to be in that category. The point is there are a couple of marketers who are sharing bad knowledge and let's not let that ruin our day. There are two ways to make money as an Amazon Seller:

  • Retail arbitrage: pick up items with a certain criteria from discount stores (scan using a smartphone app) like Walmart, BigLots, Costco, sell them at a profit from Amazon (add yourself as a seller in an existing Amazon listing)
  • Product sourcing: get your own wine bottle opener, water bottle, LED flashlight, vegetable peeler, muffin making pan, etc. created for pennies and sell on Amazon (create your own Amazon listing of a brand new product)

Those are the two strategies, and there are also two different ways you can ship items on Amazon:

  • Fulfilled by Merchant: you don't send anything directly into Amazon, you just list it as your inventory. When it sells, you print the shipping label yourself and mail out to each customer
  • Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA): you send your items in a big box to Amazon, they sit in Amazon's warehouse and you're done. When a sale comes in, Amazon mails it out themselves using prime shipping

You can do both... have some of your inventory on-hand and more in Amazon's warehouse. The point is there are four ways total:

  • Retail arbitrage + fulfilled by merchant: Great if you want to try this thing out, find a used book around the house, price it at a penny, make a dollar or two profit from shipping
  • Retail arbitrage + fulfilled by Amazon: My preferred way to do it, pick up a ton of SPECIFIC items from discount stores (like 20 water bottles that showed to have a HUGE seller ranking plus a huge profit margin), mail them all to Amazon in a box so I don't have to print 20 different shipping labels when those items sell
  • Product sourcing + fulfilled by merchant: you could get, for example, a whistle or jump rope or foam roller made... have them ship samples directly to you, or even get that first shipment of 100 or 500 right to you. When the orders come in, YOU label and package and mail these items out so you don't have to wait 1 week period for Amazon to process your inventory
  • Product sourcing + fulfilled by Amazon: this is where the big bucks are made. Have your product sourcer ship your items directly to Amazon's warehouse (this is the method Lance used in our Dropship CEO course while I was playing around with retail arbitrage)

Lance and I have a course where we show us doing this called Dropship CEO, and to my knowledge (I don't look TOO closely at competitors) -- NO ONE combines both. Retrail arbitrage to get started, then product sourcing to ramp it up and scale.

SOLUTION: Start With Retail Arbitrage, Then Add Product Sourcing

What also surprised me is that several of the students inside that course realized they wanted to stop for a while and focus just on retail arbitrage... build that up and then switch over to product sourcing once they became tired of it. I think that's a WAY better way to get started than jumping right into the product sourcing part of it.

And not to toot my own horn, but Dropship CEO course (showing BOTH retail arbitrage and product soucing with Amazon) is available to you instantly, right now. No 8 or 10 weeks of drip fed content, no theory, no padding. I want you to get started on this FAST instead of waiting a couple of months to make your first dollar (which would be the case if it was drip-fed).

Does Amazon take a small fee out of every item you sell? Of course. But so would eBay or PayPal. That's called the cost of doing business.

Paid Amazon Ads: Huge Goldmine

There are also lots of hidden Amazon Seller opportunities "the others" skipped over for some reason. For example, Amazon has a paid advertising network that's better for marketers than Google or Facebook. The very first day we advertised on it, Lance sent me a screenshot that showed 3 dollars profit for every 1 dollar spent.

I've ramped up my retail arbitrage too. I literally do it in 1 hour per week. I rush in while I'm already out and usually on my way home from something else, I load up the cart and usually buy out the store's inventory of that item. I tell the cashier not to bother bagging my items, just scan and go. I load up a shipping box (re-used from previous Amazon purchases) and I even tell UPS to come by and pick up the full boxes from me. No more trips to the post office.

Let's not get bogged down on technical details or get ourselves confused here.

Amazon is a great way for anyone to make money. Whether you're looking for a side income, replacement income, or you want your kid to pay for their own college education (as Lance is doing with his daughter). Someone in your house should be doing this and I want to show you how inside our Dropship CEO Amazon course, so click right now.

CLICK HERE to Claim Your Amazon Seller Training

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028: Copycat Marketing: It’s How Business is Done

Listen to the latest episode of the Robert Plank Show called "Copycat Marketing: It's How Business Is Done" -- I think it will help you if you've ever been stuck for creativity in your online business OR if you feel you've ever been copied... you'll also discover:

  • Why ideas are "memetic" and how you are guilty
  • How to shift your thinking into an abundance mindset and what it means to "already have stolen the TV"
  • The difference between mechanics and secret sauce copycats (when not to get offended)
  • How to be ready for it (because it's happened before and will happen to you in the future)

"Copycat Marketing" FREE Report

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Question for You Today: Where exactly is that "line" between ripping something off and modeling it?

I'd love your short (or long) opinion in the comments below... so go ahead and leave a quick one right now.

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027: Productivity and Time Management (The Secrets to Following Through and Getting Everything Done)

Check out the latest podcast episode to discover the seven secrets to getting it all done:

  1. Proper motivation
  2. Stability versus maintenance mode
  3. Let your neuroses and unhappiness work FOR you
  4. Declutter
  5. Avoid putting the horse before the cart
  6. Acting versus reacting
  7. Fear of completion & success

By checking out today's training right now you'll also discover:

  • How to avoid the trap of "having balls in the air" or "putting out fires"
  • The easiest way to ensure you'll finish what you start
  • How to avoid self-sabotage and actually enjoy everything you do
  • Simplify your life while putting in less hours and getting more done at the same time
  • And more!

"Productivity and Time Management" FREE Report

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So go ahead, click that play button and please listen to the Robert Plank Show below and answer me this one question...

Out of the 7 "secrets to getting it all done" (the numbered list above) which one resonated with you the most and when will you start implementing it?

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026: Create Direct Response Sales Letters in Minutes Using Paper Template

If you too want to discover how to easily turn words into cash, make money out of thin air, and create wealth anytime you want just by setting up a simple one-page website, then this will be the most important podcast you'll ever hear... topics covered:

  • The most important "four step formula" you'll ever need to know to create ANY web page (to get people to do what you want)
  • Robert Plank's 7-part copywriting formula to get in done in SECONDS every time
  • The exact tool you'll use to "point and click" your way to success and online sales

"Create Direct Response Sales Letters" FREE Report

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Click the "play" button and be sure to leave a question or comment (3 sentences or less) relating to today's show... show me your direct response sales letter, ask me a question or share a tip about copywriting or about the Paper Template... do it now below...

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025: How to Make Your First 1000 Dollars Online

Whether you haven't made your first dollar online yet OR you just want an extra boost for holiday money, pay off that vacation, end the year big and strong or hit the ground running for the beginning of next year, you're going to want to tune in and turn on to today's exciting, action-packed, and riveting program... topics covered:

  1. Offline Marketing (the fastest way to generate a few thousand bucks)
  2. Freelancing (often overlooked but easy and fun)
  3. Local Businesses (just 10 of these equals a full-time income with zero upkeep)
  4. Affiliate Marketing (this still works)
  5. Information Products (long term and scalable)

"How to Make Your First 1000 Dollars Online" FREE Report

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Recommended Podcasts in Today's Show:

Be sure to listen to the podcast and leave your questions and comments below this post right now. Here are some ideas for you:

  • Option #1: how YOU earned your first $1000 online (tell me your quick story)
  • Option #2: which of these methods did you like the best
  • Option #3: which of these methods do you think you might use?

By the way, if you want to make this how you did (or want to) generate your first $1 or $1 million, or you don't even want to give me the amount, that works too. Just give me your quick 1-2 sentence micro-story in the comments.

Leave Your Comment »

End of Comments on the Robert Plank Blog?

We're coming out with a brand new podcast episode next weekend called, "How to Make Your First 1000 Dollars Online"... and I want to share it with you but I need something from you first...

We are also coming up on the 5th anniversary of this site. I remember starting it thinking two things:

  1. I had already missed the "blogging gold rush" of 2005 (yeah right)
  2. If I post what I have to say on someone else's message board, won't that get more traffic, comments, and make me more money?
  3. I'm going to limit the number of comments on each post to 10 comments only (which was a lot of fun)

I think it's far better to own YourName.com and have a blog that you not only have FULL CONTROL over but is also PERMANENT... who's going to go digging around on your Facebook timeline to find what you posted a year ago, or who's going to scroll back to page 197 of that message board to find what you said last month?

It's my site, so I can do whatever I want, but I want to know what you think about closing comments on this blog?

Every time I make a post I stress about how I'm going to get 20, 50, 100 people to leave a comment -- and today I suddenly thought, maybe I should leave it closed and not worry about it?

Should I permanently disable the ability for you or anyone else to leave comments here? Yes or no? I want to know your thoughts and opinions in a comment below... it may be the last time!

(No, I won't switch over to a Disqus or Facebook comment system. And no, this isn't a marketing ploy of any kind, I'm seriously considering it.)

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts below...

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7 Keys to Residual Income (free report)

Today's training is so important that I'm giving it to you in PDF report format and I want you to print it out with your printer (yes, really) and send me a picture of it printed out sitting on your desk. (SERIOUSLY!)

Click to Download and Open:
"7 Keys to Residual Income" Free Report

Check out that report to discover how to save 70% off of our upcoming membership plugin, AND while you're at it, register for our upcoming free training on Wednesday, December 4th:

Register For December 4th 2013 2PM EST:
(Instant Passive Recurring Income)
How to Create an Automated Money Site in Just a Few Clicks

Just to recap: grab the report, then register for the webinar, then check out the instructions in that report very carefully to discover how to save your 70% coming up. We'll talk again very soon!

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