I always tell people to:

1. Subscribe to e-zine. Then ask yourself - Did it come on time? Is content worth reading? Are there too many ads? Was it well formatted?

2. Contact current advertisers and tell them you are thinking about placing an ad. Ask them what their response rate is?

3. Ask publisher about their e-zine. Is it "true optin"? How long have they been publishing it? If they started in 2001 and boast 100,000 subscribers, guess what...they bought them. Sending your ad to their list is like sending it to 99,990 trash cans and dead email addresses. The 10 who do receive it, don't read it.

4. Negotiate what you pay for ads. You will want at least 4-5 so use this ad leverage. Tell publisher you want a package. I have found that one solo ad followed by 4 classifieds really works well. The solo ad gets some attention, then, as they see it over and over, they visit. If list is true quality optin you can get as many as 20% or more of them to come to your site/offer.

5. Pay with a credit card. This protects you from publishers who say they have a quality list but don't, as well as those who don't list your ads at all.

E-zine advertising is awesome. If you know what you are doing.

_______________________________________________________ E-zine ads can be quite lucrative. Interested in placing ads in some? Don't! That is until you read EzineAdResults. Real e-zines...our true results! http://ezineadresults.com

Want to start selling on Ebay? We can show you how. Results are guaranteed! http://gnuday.com _______________________________________________________

BizE-zine: What has been your biggest mistake?

JW: At one time I bought lots of domains as an investment. I learned hard way that they aren't worth all that much unless they are getting lots of traffic or are established sites.

Also, I used to just place ads in any old e-zine I came across without checking things out first. I lost literally thousands between those two errors alone, especially to poor e-zines. I am happy to say that I now have a list of quality e-zines in which I buy ads. When I launch a site or an offer I place ads in same ones over and over. And they always get same awesome results!

BizE-zine: Do you use any proprietary software to help you run your business, and which one would you most hate to be without?

JW: I use several titles. There are three I couldn't run things without. First there is "Create" which lets me burn CD's fast and furious. I sell CD's in hundreds, so I couldn't do without it.

I also couldn't live without Ebook Editor Pro. I write Ebooks and compile them. This software allows me to do it fast and easy.

Finally I use WorldMerge to send to my e-zine mailing list.

I am always looking for easier ways to do things, and there is always better software out there. I love downloading trials and testing them out.

BizE-zine: Do you have any plans to expand your online business, and if so, how?

JW: Constantly! Right now I am working on three main projects. All three have incredible potential. One made a sale before I even placed an ad. I sent out about 20 emails with my sig file and one of them came and bought it! It will launch very soon.

Then I am working on a deal that should lead to more sales on EBay(TM). I found a new supplier and am excited to see how things work out.

Overall, in online world, you can't sit on your laurels and relax. Things change fast. Look at those who are THE most successful and you will always see one commonality. They are not only on cutting edge...they set it.

Does this mean I am on cutting edge? I don't think of myself in this way. But I do my best to constantly learn, grow, and adapt in order to continue making money online. And that means reading e-zines, ebooks and web sites, to learn what is happening right now!

BizE-zine: What one piece of advice would you give to someone who is just planning to start out?

JW: Online marketing is like race between tortoise and hare. A slow, steady, constant pace will always win out over fast and furious. If someone tells you, "Buy my product and be making $5000 next week", run as fast as you can away from them. It simply does not happen all that often.

Online work means just that. Work. And lots of it. But you will be working for yourself in order to reach your own goals and ambitions. This alone should keep you going. I don't know of even one online success story who was a quitter.

There is definitely money to be made online. You just have to learn how find ways to make it. I can say that given how I am now doing part time, if I were to take plunge I would almost certainly make more money than I am at Fire Department.

On opposite side I know of a lot of those who left online world because they failed. But, in my humble opinion, they failed because they left. They didn't leave because they failed. Think about it. Find a niche online. Something you REALLY love. Base your first marketing on this. Learn as much as you can.

And never, ever give up.

One is "Million Dollar Emails" by Yanik Silver. Why? Its comprised largely of experiences of those who have done it before. In my mind, best way to become successful is to seek out successful people, find out what they are doing, then pick out what it is that makes them successful and apply it to your own situation. "Million Dollar Emails" showed some great examples of how to make money with emails, and has already influenced some upcoming email campaigns I'll be doing.

BizE-zine: I'm glad you mentioned that one because it is one of free bonus gifts for new BizE-zine subscribers!

SU: Another one is great for beginners is Jay Conrad Levinson's "Marketing On Steroids". It has some good stuff for people who are fairly new. Most importantly, it changes some misconceptions that people may have about marketing on Internet, which often leads to downfall of their ventures.

BizE-zine: You mentioned online forums as a good source of information. Which are your favorites?

SU: I frequent these tow most often: http://www.ablake.net/forum http://www.geekvillage.com/forums

I should also add that I learn a lot by studying sales letters of other related products. Taking time to study other people's sales letters can be very insightful! But never fall into trap of copying word for word.

BizE-zine: What has been your most successful tactic for generating traffic?

SU: Easily best source of traffic, both in terms of quantity and quality has been to post on related discussion boards/forums. I make sure I have links to my sites/products in my signature, and then try to be as helpful as possible. Establishing credibility is very important in those situations, and a drive-by spamming won't get you much business, whereas being helpful and only plugging your product/service when pertinent can bring in quality sales.

BizE-zine: Tell us about your biggest mistake.

SU: Assuming too much about potential clients. Namely that they will find my site easily and that they are looking for my product/service. Ultimately, potential clients won't know about your site unless you find some way to tell them. Promotion can be painful and hard, but it is also very rewarding when done right.

BizE-zine: Which software do you use to help you run your business?

SU: I have mailing software I've written. It allows me to keep in contact with customers and potential customers. This is a must - current customers account for half my sales, but cost virtually nothing to market to. Make sure you get your hands on some sort of mailing software, or at least use a mailing service. It really is indispensable.

I also use my own AdvertisingResults.net service. It is a powerful tool that tracks all my marketing campaigns, so that I can find out which ones are worth continuing and which ones I should dump. It's saved me thousands in advertising and helped to boost my revenues. There are others on market, but naturally, I like my own best!

BizE-zine: What's next for your online business?

SU: One of things that I've been working on is how to expand my business, but keep it profitable and efficient. The thing I've learned is to make sure expansion is within your area of expertise and doesn't distract you or draw revenues away. I have about 5 or 6 webmaster-related products and services in works, and they will all complement each other and existing offerings.

Like I said, most of my sales are from current customers, so more services and products I can offer, more each customer becomes worth. The idea is to get as many related offerings, and then I can use them to promote each other by offering current customers a discount on another product I sell.

BizE-zine: What would you say to someone who is just planning to start out?

SU: Too many people try and go it alone on Internet, don't make that mistake. Participate in discussion forums, email lists and even talk to people on ICQ. If I hadn't found a few good forums a few years ago, I wouldn't have an online business to run.

There are two reasons you should be talking with your peers:

1. You need to learn what is working and what isn't. The best way to get most current information is by discussing it with other people. Some of most important things I've learned haven't been from expensive courses or ebooks, but from a fellow entrepreneur who had tried a few things and shared some tips.

2. You need to network in order to setup deals or joint ventures, and also to make sales. You can spend thousands of dollars on advertising, and still not make as much as you would setting up a joint venture with someone else. Also, many people that I build credible relationships will buy several of my products down road.

Talk to people. Pick their brains. That is by far best way to keep current and build sales. And it makes life a lot more interesting!