======================================================= Top 5: Internet Marketing News ======================================================= Hi and welcome to Top 5: Internet Marketing News. This daily newsletter brings internet marketing news, tools, tips, tricks, info, and more, sent right to your inbox everyday. You have either e-mailed me, or subscribed via the Top 5 homesite (http://top5affiliateprogram.bizland.com), the globeclubs homepage (http://globelists.theglobe.com/clubs/top5newsletter/list.taf), or through a promotional mailing to lists we both subscribe to. Unsubscribe options and more below... Mike Merz Top 5======================================================= Issue #19 | June 28, 2000 ======================================================= Privacy Policy: Our subscriber list is confidential and we respect your privacy. All subscription and unsubscription information can be found at the end of this issue. ======================================================= In This Issue: ======================================================= Welcome To Top 5 ! Top 5's "Top 5 Of May" (sales) A Tip From DrNunley Ask Top 5 Article Of The Day (Isabel M. Isidro) Free Download Of The Day Site Of The Day About Us Subscribe/unsubscribe options ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= *** A B S O L U T E E Z I N E S ***================== DISCOVER how you can publish your own ezine. We provide everything you need to build a successful newsletter: FREE ezine templates, FREE training, FREE tips, and ezine makeovers. PLUS, all NEW subscribers receive 5 FREE gifts. Get Absolute Ezines -- get all the ANSWERS! *Join TODAY: absoluteezines-subscribe@topica.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= ======================================================= Welcome ======================================================= Hi And Welcome To Top 5. Send Us An E-mail And Let Us Know What You Think. We're Looking For Testimonials To Be Listed In Future Mailings. Send A Blank E-mail To : mailto:ideas@top5affiliateprogram.bizland.com Interested in ad swaps? mailto:adswap@top5affiliateprogram.bizland.com ======================================================= Top 5's "Top 5 Of May" ======================================================= Every month, Top 5 will list the "Top 5" affiliate programs as determined by total sales/sales dollars recorded for our APFWM/N Group related sites. #1 Ken Evoy's "Make Your Site Sell" and "Make Your Knowledge Sell" #2 Mark Joyner's ROIbot #3 Online Classified Club #4 Kim Skinner's ZipResponse #5 Corey Rudl's Internet Marketing Center Well, that's our "Top 5" for May, check them out and hopefully you'll have as much success with them as we have. Good Luck In Your Ventures, Mike Merz APFWM/N Group http://apfwmngroup.bizland.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= ---------------------------------------------- Did you know you can email money with PayPal.com? PayPal, a free service of X.com, lets users send and receive money by email. Use PayPal.com to settle restaurant tabs with colleagues, pay friends for movie tickets, or buy a baseball card at an online auction - all with the click of a mouse! PayPal charges the money to an existing credit card or bank account. It's faster, safer and easier than mailing a personal check. As soon as you sign up and register your credit card, PayPal will automatically send you $5! I recently signed up for PayPal and got my $5 bonus right away. Signing up is quick, easy and you can download the money to your bank account at any time. No strings attached. Click on this to sign up and see for yourself: REFER YOUR FRIENDS AND EARN MONEY After you sign up, you'll get an email like this to send to your friends and family. PayPal will give you $5 for each friend that signs up and registers a credit card. It's that easy! ---------------------------------------------- ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= ======================================================= Tip Of The Day ======================================================= Drnunley's Biz-Tips By Kevin Nunley "Your Price Is Too High!" Most people go into business thinking their way to wealth will be to offer cheap products and get lots of sales. If you sell one million combs at just a dollar a piece, you've made a million dollars. Unfortunately, sales usually drop off after selling half-a- dozen cheap items. Most of us quickly discover the real profits come with selling higher priced items or services. But what do you do when a prospect says your price is too high? Don't feel like you have to lower your price. Instead, find out how much your prospect has to spend. Then give a healthy number of reasons why your product or service is easily worth your asking price. If the prospect still doesn't bite, offer a cheaper version of your product or a lesser service. Since the prospect can't afford the entire package, provide them with a scaled down version. For those who don't want to pay our usual price for a press release package, we offer a free press release builder with an editor to polish the customer's release--all at a lower price. ------------------------------------------------------------ Kevin will write your press release and send it to 5,000 media nationwide (radio, TV, weekly and daily newspapers, news services, magazines, and ezines). Get the benefit of Kevin's 20 yeas in radio and TV at http://DrNunley.com Reach him at kev-@drnunley.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= Kim Skinner, Owner Of AdvertisingTips.Net (http://advertisingtips.net), Is A Friend Of Ours, And She Has The "ANSWERS" (mailto:answers-on@mail-list.com) Check Out Her *New*Affiliate Program! https://top5news.tripod.com/ZipResponse.html ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= ======================================================= Ask Top 5 ======================================================= I'm a newbie and a new subscriber. My question is: Is there any $$ to be made from specialized subscriber e-mailing lists? I realize that lists do not allow commercial mail but those who subscribe are all interested in the same topics/interests and are potential customers for related products and services. Neil Brown Sometime enterpreneur and mountain man Spruce Pine, NC Hi, Neil. Thanks for the post, and welcome to the group. Yes, starting a group will "opt in" people who are interested in the same topics that you are, creating a group of individuals who are more likely to want what you have to offer than the general public. They will also trust you, providing what you have to offer is genuine. I started this group because I have a great interest in internet marketing, and wanted to share my experiences, as well as to help those that are in need of it. I would rather build a positive following with this group, even if the members didn't purchase dollar one from me. If I was to slam you with ads, you would probably say, "this guy's just out to make a buck off me", which you can find in 99 out of 100 other lists, but not here. Granted, I do offer products and services, as does Andy (Brocklehurst), on sites that have been mentioned in previous posts, but only those we would stake our reputations on, back 100%, and feel would help resolve the questions presented in that particular post. Best regards, Mike Merz Have Questions About Internet Marketing ? Send It To Top 5, And It May Possibly Be Included In Future Mailings. Send A blank E-mail To: mailto:ask@top5affiliateprogram.bizland.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= Join The Affiliate Programs For Webmasters/Newbies family of list communities featuring everything you need to know to start your own internet based home business. http://apfwmngroup.bizland.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= ======================================================= Article Of The Day ======================================================= Small Businesses and the Power of Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances are opportunities for small businesses to accomplish things that would otherwise take much more money or staff time. This article explores several ways small businesses can collaborate with other business entities. By Isabel M. Isidro Power HomeBiz Guides No man is an island -- While you may be bravely striding down the path of managing and growing your businesses, there may come a time when you need to form strategic alliances for your business. Given the current state of business today, competitive pressures are forcing companies to come-up with imaginative ways to enhance brand identity, connect with customers and attract top-notch employees. Companies, both big and small, are teaming up more today than ever before to enhance their competitiveness in the marketplace and keep pace with the rapid changes of technological innovation. More than 20,000 corporate alliances have been formed worldwide over the past two years. According to studies by Booz, Allen & Hamilton, the number of alliances in the United States has grown by 25 percent each year since 1987. A strategic alliance is an arrangement between two companies that combine resources to gain additional business. Strategic alliances are formed when one company alone cannot fill the gap in serving the needs of the marketplace. It involves two companies that pool together expertise and resources to enter new markets, share financial risks and get products and services to market faster. Some strategic alliances are formal written agreements; others are informal as a handshake. With the Internet, some alliances are entered into after several email exchanges, even without the physical meeting of the parties concerned. Some alliances involve sharing of resources and an exchange of funds; or sharing of traffic between two dot.coms; others are as simple as a cooperative marketing arrangement. Whatever their structure, one goal prevails: strategic alliances are opportunities for small businesses to accomplish things that would otherwise take much more money or staff time. Small business owners, with their limited resources and marketing reach, could benefit from cooperative arrangements with other organization and business entities. Joining forces with another organization can allow your business to finance certain services or production functions by sharing expertise, assets, expenses, and risk without necessarily incurring cash debt or trading equity. For small businesses, strategic alliances often consist of simple "bartering" with customers, suppliers, and even competitors. Here are several ways that you can collaborate with another person or company to bring added value, revenue, traffic and/or expertise into your business. Partner with a key customer. If you are selling a substantial amount of your product to one company, it is best to explore opportunities for strategic alliances between your organizations. Your goal is to preserve the relationship -- imagine the possible devastating effects of losing your single biggest account. Cementing the relationship into a long-term formal alliance will help mitigate the risk of losing your biggest customer and market. Partner with a brand leader. When considering strategic partners, most small businesses will benefit from alliances that add value and prestige, not just money, through sheer association alone. If a brand leader wishes to join forces with you – a "small fry" – grab the offer immediately! Your networking ability plays a major role in locating and investigating strategic partnering opportunities. Business association with a well-recognized industry name can generate immediate credibility for you. It can be likened to receiving a stamp of approval from the best in the industry. Even if the partnership does not offer direct financial remuneration, you can leverage your formal association with the brand leader in the advertising and marketing for your company. Cross-sector Partnerships. While strategic alliances are often formed with businesses, consider the possibility of joining forces with the non-profit organizations such as trade associations, nonprofit groups, local community organizations, etc. Cross-sector partnerships may offer great opportunities for financing some advertising and distribution expenses. Moreover, you may be able to work out arrangements with some groups that target a very specific, and important, consumer audience. An excellent book that explores the opportunities of a partnership of a for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations is Eli Segal’s book "Common Interest, Common Good: Creating Value through Business and Social Sector Partnerships." Partner with former employer. Many entrepreneurs start their own companies after seeing potential partnership opportunities with their employers. For example, you may develop a product or service that provides your employer with a solution to a major problem. You make arrangements to go into your own business selling this product or service, and your former employer offers you a long-term contract with his or her company. The bonus: you end up with great cash flow, and the long-term contract with a creditworthy company means you can go to other lenders and possibly get other financing you need. Partner with a competitor. Your competitors, if handled properly, can be a very good alliance partners. By understanding the capacity and capabilities of your competitor, you may be able to tap into their unique strengths for your own advantages. You may work hand-in-hand with a competitor over contracts that may be too large for you to handle by yourself. You may also refer customers and projects to your competitors if your manpower resources are tightly squeezed. If you cultivate a good harmonious relationship with your competitor, they may also reciprocate and pass on to you projects and contracts that they feel you can do much better! As the saying goes, “if you can’t beat them, join them!” Partner for cross marketing. Cross marketing calls for two distinct businesses to pool their resources and collectively market to a target customer base. The strategic alliance will provide additional leverage for their product offerings and generate greater marketing impact. The potential to save money for both companies is the greatest benefit to both companies. An online magazine targeting small business entrepreneurs, for example, can partner with a site that offers assistance to entrepreneurs in securing government loans. The online magazine will be able to increase its business tools offering to its readers, while the government loans site can widen its reach. Your company may have started out as a solo enterprise, and you still want it to remain that way – but you see the value in making connections. Or, your business has now grown to include one or more employees and you’re looking for ways to expand your reach without generating a lot of debt or overhead. For these situations, and many more, strategic alliances and partnerships are a smart solution. Design them any way you want – keeping in mind a win/win philosophy – and you’ll discover ways to grow your business without the direct use of money. ______________________ Copyright 2000. PowerHomeBiz.com, LLC. Article written by Isabel M. Isidro, Power HomeBiz Guides. For more articles, visit Power HomeBiz Guides at http://www.powerhomebiz.com. PowerHomeBiz.com is an online magazine designed to stimulate your entrepreneurial mind. We make small business do BIG business. To subscribe to the bi-monthly newsletter, send email to newsl-@powerhomebiz.com. ___________________ ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= Top 5 is now an official EUDORA (The World's # 1 E-mail Client) download and information center! 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