BizE-zine: Have sales been good?

MN: Personally, I have sold over 300 copies since it came out in July 2001, but since I sold reprint rights to this book (and I am able to track sales), I know it has been downloaded at least 1,000 times.

BizE-zine: What kind of affiliate program have you put in place?

MN: Boy, I am going to get really embarrassed here, Martin. I know affiliate programs work, ONLY if you work on them. I sort of let mine grow on its own, with help of easy-to-use set up from ClickBank. Anyone can join, and anyone can make as much as they want referring customers to my web site, but I haven't been working hard enough to attract new affiliates. There is only so much you can do as a business owner, and affiliate program has not been my focus.

BizE-zine: Apart from Ken Evoy's books, have you bought any other ebooks or courses on online marketing that you would recommend?

MN: My next purchase was "Amazing Formula" by Marlon Sanders, and had a great blueprint for success in front of me. While not revealing any shocking secrets, Marlon's book had confirmed what I already learned from visiting Internet marketing forums and gave me a clear marketing plan to follow.

What I discovered about buying Internet marketing products is that no manual will give you a "magic bullet". They will all teach you about same things - how to bring traffic to your site, capture your visitors e-mails and follow up with them asking for sale. The rest are details.

BizE-zine: Of all information available free online, what do you read most?

MN: I used to read a lot of e-zines, but after reading about 10 from "cover to cover" for months, I found that most of them contain similar information and advice.

What I do read is interesting forum posts and articles I receive through e-mail discussion groups. This not only helps me learn about other people's experiences, but helps me make new business contacts and joint ventures.

BizE-zine: How do you go about attracting traffic, and what has been your most successful tactic?

MN: The number 1 traffic generator for me has been my free e-book, "The Absolute Beginner's Guide To Starting a Web Site" which I submitted to ZDNet. After it got listed on their web site, I receive at least 150 visitors a day from people who read that e-book.

Other traffic generators for me are writing articles on a regular basis, search engines and my wonderful affiliates.

BizE-zine: You mentioned online forums. Which ones do you use most?

MN: No doubt, it's Anthony Blake's marketing forum.

http://www.ablake.net/forum/

I don't post there as much as I used to, but do read it weekly. There are so many different people out there, with completely different personalities and opinions! Before you post, hang out there for a while to make sure your posts are appropriate. Never get into a flame war; you will only hurt yourself and your business.

BizE-zine: Up to now, what has been your biggest mistake in business?

MN: Hmmm... that's a hard one. Probably spending too much time on online forums and taking everyone's comments close to heart. That took up a lot of my time and energy, and sometimes discouraged me from going on.

Thanks to a few people who supported me through tough times, I am still in business :-)

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

MN: My best friend is WorldMerge mailing list software that allows me to import and personalize a list of subscribers, in whichever format I have them in. There is a free version of this software at ColoradoSoft.com.

BizE-zine: What are your business plans for future?

MN: I always have plans! The trouble with entrepreneurs is that sometimes we have too many ideas to implement. I think in past 12 months I have started at least 10-15 different ventures, and only 4 of them were implemented and proved to be a success.

I have recently launched a new web site, MyCoachingWebSite.com, created specifically for coaches, consultants, writers, speakers and other professionals. There is a whole different set of strategies a service provider should include in his or her marketing strategy on Internet, and that's what this web site is about.

As I mentioned before, my number 1 traffic generator is my free e-book. After starting my new web site, I absolutely had to develop a free e-book :-) "How To Market Your Practice on Internet", can be successfully used by any professional who provides services (download at http://www.MyCoachingWebSite.com)

I am also publishing my first booklet this month titled "59 Ways To Grow Your Practice on Internet". It will be available for sale at My Coaching Web Site, as well.

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

MN: Commit yourself entirely to succeeding. Don't ever think, "What if I don't make any money?" Always think "I will do everything possible, and work hard until I start making money".

I am incredibly afraid of personal selling over phone. In fact, I am not looking forward to calling companies and media offering my new booklet at all!

But I also know that if I don't do it, my dream of becoming a completely independent entrepreneur will not realize. So I will just keep going until it does.

Looking for deals shouldn't be your first step - but it should be there early on.

BizE-zine: It is still early days yet, but can you point to one big mistake you wish you could put right?

BP: My biggest mistake was not doing something earlier. I spun my wheels for four years before I finally put my book together. Those are four years I can't get back - who knows what I could be doing today.

All my other mistakes are pretty minor in comparison.

BizE-zine: What kind of software does 'King of Software Secrets' use himself?

BP: I use a couple of applications day-to-day that I wrote myself, including my autoresponder. Obviously, not everyone can do this, or would even want to - but it is important to find tools that let you spend your maximum amount of time focusing on doing things that will make you money.

If you are wasting time doing something that isn't making you money, find a way to automate it. For instance, if you are responding to similar questions through you email, set up a FAQs page or use a macro program like RemoteKeys to get these questions answered more quickly or better yet, without your intervention.

In my writing, I use Word. Then Adobe Acrobat to seal it up. I wish more people would stick to using Acrobat, rather than some of ebook packages available. Acrobat increases level of portability and makes it easy to print out.

BizE-zine: Having tasted such a spectacular success, I'm sure you don't plan to sit back and do nothing. What are your plans for future?

BP: I have several ideas. Early on, I'd like to continue to build on success of my 'Secrets - Exposed!' brand.

I keep liberal notes in dozens of notebooks - and try to revisit these often to keep my mind fresh and looking for new opportunities. Even this morning, I was contacting a publisher and pitching a software idea to him. This project may not see sunlight for months - but it is planting seeds for future.

BizE-zine: Many people would love to produce their own ebook, but don't know how to go about it. What would you say to them?

BP: Do a little each day. Such a simple suggestion, but if it's followed each day book will "magically" complete itself. Write a paragraph, a section or a chapter, but keep cracking at it every single day.

Have a good outline you can follow. Instead of trying to decide what content you need to fill it out, you can simply follow outline you have already in front on you.

And bring passion to your work every time you sit down. Infuse it 100% with your personality and enthusiasm.

BizE-zine: What advice would you give to someone who wants to make it online?

BP: Become educated, create a plan, and do something.

It might mean breaking into your weekends or evenings, but resulting success can last you a lifetime.

Have a burning desire to succeed. Find someone that can mentor you - or a friend that has a similar desire to succeed. You definitely want a cheering section of your crowd. Be thankful and be giving. And don't forget importance of your family.

BizE-zine: And a final word?

BP: I started with zero like most people - I didn't have tons of contacts in industry, I didn't have experience writing a book or a sales letter or running an affiliate program.

But I didn't let those fears stop me. I took action I knew I needed to take. And I learned from my mistakes and I keep learning more today. But had I been too scared to get started, I'd still be sitting here thinking about what to do today.

Get out there - get started - and do something everyday! See you at top!