My "Offline Review" Info from a real "offliner" (pus free tips)

[freebiequeen1999]

Hi there...I love this forum and I appreciate all the shares

My interest is in "offline" cause I actually work offline

I have started doing some "reviews" on products, hopefully will help others, especially newbies

IMHO while there is "good" stuff to be had here, there are also a lot of "gurus" who seem to find the "offline segment" a good way to make money with inferior products and sometimes truly MISLEADING AND RIDICULOUS "PLANS"...or should I say "dreams"???

The first thing I began to realize about these wso's is there are certain offline "red flags"...look out for them

Stupid claims like "local business owners will pull out their checkbooks".. "have local biz owners anxious to hand you money"....? Oh please ridiculous

One thing they seem to overlook is that just getting through to the right person (decision maker) is a skill in it's own right. Another thing they overlook is that you actually have to have some real skills or product to offer.

More red flags - "immediate"...no most owners will have to talk to ..partner, wife,kids, friends, their dog

"no work no effort "....enough said

"Easy, no skills needed, no money, blah blah"...if this was true there would be no one serving those burgers and Fries to us in McDonalds

I will add more - and hope to have lively discussion...what products you found good,bad, indifferent...ONE thing I will say is I appreciate the shares and in many of the products, even the worst ones there will be a little gem or two worth keeping

Thanks )

[freebiequeen1999]

LOL...well I wrote pus instead of plus....maybe Mods will fix or maybe it ok..since there is a lot of "pus" in the offline wsos and guru plans tee hee

Now...what I do find helpful is - graphics, infographics, "forms", "sample contracts", email swipes, and such

I don't think it wise to totally use them as is, but I have gotten ideas and done my own adaptations.

While I would not use a "theme" I do like looking at them and in fact got a great idea for myself from one of them, a graphic idea and "headline" which I modified. Seeing what is out there is great

IMHO the best "products" are often those which have some "substance" to them, stuff you could use or adapt.
I will admit my own downfall is often in the "details" - follow up emails and/or firming up contracts. I am always looking for those sort of products and grateful for help and shares

[verminator]

Ok well I guess I'll get this started What do you do now and what are you having success with? What products do you recommend and which products aren't worth wasting your time on?

[offlineguy]

freebiequeen1999,

I like where you're going with this and respect your opinion, so could you touch on realistic prices for offline services?

I've seen recent products claiming to sell simple review videos for from $200-500 (excuse me, $197-497) and others talking about maintenance contracts in the thousands of dollars each month. I'm sure such opportunities probably exist in certain niches in the larger markets, but surely this is far from the norm?

Thanks in advance for your reply...

[fastlane99]

(05-16-2015 03:08 AM)offlineguy Wrote:  freebiequeen1999,

I like where you're going with this and respect your opinion, so could you touch on realistic prices for offline services?

I've seen recent products claiming to sell simple review videos for from $200-500 (excuse me, $197-497) and others talking about maintenance contracts in the thousands of dollars each month. I'm sure such opportunities probably exist in certain niches in the larger markets, but surely this is far from the norm?

Thanks in advance for your reply...

You need to find out how much they already spend on advertising and what their customer value is. If a dentist makes $1000 on average per patient, you can easily charge that much monthly for your services if you're generating business for him.

[fastlane99]

(05-16-2015 03:08 AM)offlineguy Wrote:  freebiequeen1999,

I like where you're going with this and respect your opinion, so could you touch on realistic prices for offline services?

I've seen recent products claiming to sell simple review videos for from $200-500 (excuse me, $197-497) and others talking about maintenance contracts in the thousands of dollars each month. I'm sure such opportunities probably exist in certain niches in the larger markets, but surely this is far from the norm?

Thanks in advance for your reply...

Find out what the business advertising budget is and how much they earn from each customer on average. If a dentist makes $1,000 per patient who comes in to get their teeth cleaned, you can easily charge the same amount on a monthly basis if what you offer is generating them more customers.

[mrpelage]

Many of you guys might not know who I am but I love discussions like this. If you guys actually listen to what I say, I guarantee you will make a lot of money if you take action.

I am a local seo and video marketer, I also design websites but prefer to outsource them as they are very time consuming. I'll explain my entire process of how to get clients and how to keep them.

First and most importantly pick one niche and specialize in that. For example I started with lawyers and then I did gynecologist and proceeded to dentists. You start with a simple local business like a flower shop or even a hot dog stand. Keyword research that niche until you know exactly what the online competition is, the offline competition is in that particular area. For example let's say there's a Frank's Hot Dog Stand on ninth, it's your job to know how long he's been there, what his hours are, what are his direct competitors. Is the there a Luis' Hot Dog Stand on tenth? What are their hours? How long have they been in business? I do this even before I approach the client. Before I meet with them I do a complete business background check, see if there are liens on the business, the business owner, their home. Sounds complicated? I close every sales call every time.

If you try to sell everyone, you'll fail. I only sell those who I know need more business and see the value in what I do. I always offer a trial of 7-14 days so they feel comfortable in making this decision. I prefer to use pbn's that I could forward to their site a week before I meet up with them so the trial actually brings them business. It's hard not close a deal when they are already getting more customers and making more money. Be proactive. I don't care what any other seo company is charging, all I care about is doing my homework. I spend about 4-6 hours researching every single business before I meet with them. People love to talk to people like them. If you could tell them when they started their business, why they started their business and that you can help them take their business where they want to take it. Why wouldn't they buy? Why wouldn't they?

I use pbn's because you can always delete the links and you have full control. I have your sales presentation down to 3-5 minutes. Visit the business to see when they're busy and when they're slow. Take not of the slow times and approach. You wouldn't approach a hot dog stand at 12:00 pm right? Of course not. Create the perfect stress free environment for a buying atmosphere. No pressure, the wheels are already in motion. They've probably noticed an increase in business already. No matter what you think seo is, you're a sales person. So give them a reason to buy. Every business owner knows they need more sales, they just don't have the time to stop and figure it out. That's why you're there. To save them time. Collect there email and cell phone number and have them sign a short agreement, not contract! In 7-14 days you'll stop by for the first payment or down payment. It's simple.

I'll go into more depth if anyone found this useful. Gotta head to the in-laws, wish me luck...

[IMWhip]

Sorry mrpelage,

This is probably a dumb question but what is a PBN?

I do know that when trying to land an offline client you want to be more of an educator and not just another slimy salesperson.

You don't want to go to technical but explain the benefits of what ever services you are offering to your prospect.

And yes you can go more into depth with your insights mrpelage.

Thanks in advance,

-IMWhip

(05-18-2015 01:36 AM)mrpelage Wrote:  Many of you guys might not know who I am but I love discussions like this. If you guys actually listen to what I say, I guarantee you will make a lot of money if you take action.

I am a local seo and video marketer, I also design websites but prefer to outsource them as they are very time consuming. I'll explain my entire process of how to get clients and how to keep them.

First and most importantly pick one niche and specialize in that. For example I started with lawyers and then I did gynecologist and proceeded to dentists. You start with a simple local business like a flower shop or even a hot dog stand. Keyword research that niche until you know exactly what the online competition is, the offline competition is in that particular area. For example let's say there's a Frank's Hot Dog Stand on ninth, it's your job to know how long he's been there, what his hours are, what are his direct competitors. Is the there a Luis' Hot Dog Stand on tenth? What are their hours? How long have they been in business? I do this even before I approach the client. Before I meet with them I do a complete business background check, see if there are liens on the business, the business owner, their home. Sounds complicated? I close every sales call every time.

If you try to sell everyone, you'll fail. I only sell those who I know need more business and see the value in what I do. I always offer a trial of 7-14 days so they feel comfortable in making this decision. I prefer to use pbn's that I could forward to their site a week before I meet up with them so the trial actually brings them business. It's hard not close a deal when they are already getting more customers and making more money. Be proactive. I don't care what any other seo company is charging, all I care about is doing my homework. I spend about 4-6 hours researching every single business before I meet with them. People love to talk to people like them. If you could tell them when they started their business, why they started their business and that you can help them take their business where they want to take it. Why wouldn't they buy? Why wouldn't they?

I use pbn's because you can always delete the links and you have full control. I have your sales presentation down to 3-5 minutes. Visit the business to see when they're busy and when they're slow. Take not of the slow times and approach. You wouldn't approach a hot dog stand at 12:00 pm right? Of course not. Create the perfect stress free environment for a buying atmosphere. No pressure, the wheels are already in motion. They've probably noticed an increase in business already. No matter what you think seo is, you're a sales person. So give them a reason to buy. Every business owner knows they need more sales, they just don't have the time to stop and figure it out. That's why you're there. To save them time. Collect there email and cell phone number and have them sign a short agreement, not contract! In 7-14 days you'll stop by for the first payment or down payment. It's simple.

I'll go into more depth if anyone found this useful. Gotta head to the in-laws, wish me luck...

[mrpelage]

PBN Private blog network. I design them by niche. So my dentist pbn's don't have links from any other niche but dentistry.

You have to be the mafia. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Even a $1 14 day trial gets you their credit card on file. You just have to go out there. Most people target every and any business. If you're new to local seo that's a really bad idea, in my personal opinion. If you've done seo for hot dog stands, why would a lawyer let you do their seo? If you approach an attorney which is so much easier than you could possible imagine IF YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK, you better know what their ideal client is, what they charge, what their case load look like. You have to know the niche inside out. I dominate my clients niches for them, just smashing it!

Referrals are king! Every business owner hangs around people like them. Fellow business owners, similar service providers, or future business owners. Look at us, we all gather on Best Black Hat Forum everyday as a community. I guarantee offline business owners do the same. I have one client that refer clients to me. I don't charge him but $100 a month for 2 sites. Why so low? He referred over 60 clients! Just one of those clients paid me $5,675 and each client is worth a minimum of $1,500 for a website or seo work. Why do I still charge him? Well seo has to be worth something to him, even if it's $50 a site. That small minuscule payment reminds him to continue to refer clients to me. Never work for free, not even for your mother! Never!

My clients respect me and never doubt me, especially because I do seo before I ever get the client. SEO first then closing the deal is inevitable.

[bobmcalister]

interesting start ...so you dont use themes for websites? you write the code ? do you offer a menu of services ? mind sharing a little more on the pbn....you use expired domains or free websites and blogs. too many questions in mind right now but i will certainly tag this thread....thanks !