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!

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.