Another example. AlphaOne does not sell domain names except with hosting accounts. Instead, we refer all users who come looking to buy a domain name to another hosting firm who DOES sell domain names, CAWebSolutions. CAWebsolutions sells only very specific hosting plans - all geared towards smaller web sites. They in turn refer people who need more space & bandwidth to AlphaOne.

AlphaOne has a similar partnership with Webs 4 Christ Hosting & Design. This ministry is geared towards hosting Churches & Christian web sites. They have quite a few resources specifically geared towards that market niche.

Both of these partnerships have brought in traffic AND sales that we might not have gotten otherwise. I know same is true for our partners. And yet, both of these companies are our competitors as well. We sell same product, just in different flavors.

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6. Provide references. Adding references within your e-book is a great way to provide value. Including websites, links to articles, titles of books and addresses and phone numbers of helpful organizations are all great ways to point your reader in right direction. This approach will help position you as a go-to person, someone who can readily provide references and referrals. Also, you’ll increase chances that your emails will be retained and/or forwarded to others because of their overall usefulness.

7. To quote or not to quote. If appropriate for your content, don’t hesitate to add quotations. Quotations help people relate to information and can also help with recall later on. Clever words like these can really add a touch of elegance to your presentation and show a sense of thoroughness and thoughtfulness in effort you made to develop course.

8. Any questions? Adding questions to deepen reader’s learning or to engage them in material more fully is a great idea as well. You might ask opened ended question to promote possibility thinking, or you might ask more factual-based questions. You can provide answers within same email, or wait and provide answers in next lesson. You might even have one lesson which is set up in a Q & A (Question and Answer) format. People love Q & A. To get reader even more involved, you can include an email link where they can send you more questions. This would be a great entrée to building a potential customer relationship, or to building another product based upon questions you receive from readers. The possibilities are endless.

9. Examples and stories. Providing interesting examples or stories to illustrate key points are a great way to captivate reader’s attention. Not only do they give him a way to relate content to his own life, but they provide a way for him to remember it in future.

10. Contact me please. Each issue of your e-course should include your complete contact information including your name, company name, address, website, email address, telephone number and fax number. You might also want to include links to other free offers, with links directly back to your website. These links should be located at bottom of your email, perhaps in a P.S. (post script), rather than as center of attention. Remember, your intent is to provide valuable content with hopes of cultivating beginning of a customer relationship.