http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:42:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 © roger.bauer@smbconsultinginc.com () roger.bauer@smbconsultinginc.com() SMB Blog roger.bauer@smbconsultinginc.com No no http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog 144 144 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/events/webinar/real-estate-seo-webinar-thursday-march-11-2010-2-pm-et/ http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/events/webinar/real-estate-seo-webinar-thursday-march-11-2010-2-pm-et/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:42:02 +0000 Roger Bauer http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/?p=778 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/events/webinar/real-estate-seo-webinar-thursday-march-11-2010-2-pm-et/feed/ 0 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/rant/i-hate-entrepreneurs/ http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/rant/i-hate-entrepreneurs/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:08:04 +0000 Roger Bauer http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/?p=773 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/rant/i-hate-entrepreneurs/feed/ 0 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/10-super-bowl-ads/ http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/10-super-bowl-ads/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:28:57 +0000 Roger Bauer http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/?p=762 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/10-super-bowl-ads/feed/ 0 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/review/cpa-sales-tsunami-an-honest-review/ http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/review/cpa-sales-tsunami-an-honest-review/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:49:27 +0000 Roger Bauer http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/?p=758 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/review/cpa-sales-tsunami-an-honest-review/feed/ 0 00:01:01 I recently got a copy of Mike Hill's CPA Tsunami and have had some people asking me what I think of it so far so ... I recently got a copy of Mike Hill's CPA Tsunami and have had some people asking me what I think of it so far so I thought I'd do a "mid-term" review of the product.nbsp; Admittedly, I have only gotten through 1/2 the course even though I have had it for awhile.nbsp; That's what the holidays will do to you! Anyway, here are my raw honest opinions/takes thus far: 1) The bonuses more than make up for a lot of what the program lacks.nbsp; The collection of bonuses are worth the price of the program by themselves. The offer truly is a good one from that perspective. 2) The program itself isn't all that earth shattering or even that well done considering the price point. It's more or less Mike Hill sitting in front of a computer reading over slides on his deck that they periodically cut to shots of him talking then back to the slides. They have nice backgrounds for the slides and use color effectively, but that doesn't compensate for some of the bigger pot holes that I'll get to in just a bit. 3) One thing that Mike could have improved upon is stepping into his slides versus tossing the whole slide up there and reading over it.nbsp; It makes it much harder to follow along because our natural human tendency is to read ahead so that's a rather significant criticism of the program.nbsp; It's simply not that hard to step into slides point by point so I'm surprised and a bit disappointed at this oversight. Maybe the coordination between showing the slide and Mike talking was tricky . . . I don't know, but stepping into each point is something you'd (at the very least) expect out of a $2,000+ product.nbsp; Sure, for a $197 product, toss your slides up on the screen with all the points showing and read over them all day long, but that's unacceptable for a product at this price point.nbsp; Sorry. 4) Something Mike has done very well: it's as if he's having a one-on-one conversation with you, and that's something we could all learn from #38; model.nbsp; You hear everyone say "write or talk to one person with your marketing," and Mike does this throughout the course. 5) The packaging is absolutely top flight, and I believe that sold some people including yours truly. It looks cool, and that may make a difference for some folks. Hey, I'm vein and can appreciate cool packaging! LOL 6) There are some really good tips for beginners, intermediates, and advanced marketers so there truly is a little something for everyone.nbsp; It's not a heavyweight bout of rainmaker tips, tricks and pointers however. Some of the stuff is a bit too basic, but I'll cut it some slack because Mike #38; his gang were aiming to be a product for every level.nbsp; I belive they've pulled this off, but some advanced level guys (no names mentioned--ha, ha) get bored and tend to zone out especially when there are 10 bullet points on a slide that someone is going to read over . . . our minds tend to zoom to the last point and wander away from there before the presenter is even to point #3. 7) The creative examples are good to model after, and that's one of the strengths of this program. If you're not sure how to craft an offer effectively with solid creative, this is a good course for you. 8) If you're looking for a course that will take you by the hand and teach you exactly how to make a lot of money quickly through CPA networks, I'm not sure this will do it because I honestly haven't finished it yet. I say that as an "advanced" level internet marketer that isn't all that great with CPA networks yet.nbsp; That's the primary reason I got this course, and I'm hoping there are some serious "ah-ha" moments to come later in the program. 9) I will say that no matter what level you happen to be right now, you can learn a lot about offer formulation, creative, up-sells, cross-sells, and down-sells through this course. You may not know exactly how to pull one off with your particular shopping cart #38; auto-responder, but you'll understan... Review roger.bauer@smbconsultinginc.com no No http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/buyerzone-experience-some-analysis-friendly-advice/ http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/buyerzone-experience-some-analysis-friendly-advice/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:44:53 +0000 Roger Bauer http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/?p=754 http://smbconsultinginc.com/blog/advertising/buyerzone-experience-some-analysis-friendly-advice/feed/ 1 3:12 Recently I filled out a request for information form at BuyerZone.com for outbound telemarketing and direct mail services.nbsp; I did this for two reasons: 1) ... Recently I filled out a request for information form at BuyerZone.com for outbound telemarketing and direct mail services.nbsp; I did this for two reasons: 1) to help the folks who go through the List Samurai program identify potential quality vendors to connect with for their marketing needs and 2) develop a better understanding of the price points for these types of vendors for my own business growth needs. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Buyer Zone Homepage Screenshot"][/caption] I filled out the request on Sunday in order to get some feedback on Monday and Tuesday as I create more List Samurai videos #38; slides, and boy did I get some feedback! To the tune of a phone call every hour on the hour starting around 9:30 AM ET.nbsp; Here are my takeaways and friendly advice based on the experience thus far: 1) Many of these companies MUST be hurting for business based on the amount of phone calling and email attempts made in the last 36 hours. This means you can likely strike a pretty good deal if you play your cards right when approaching them.nbsp; How can you do that? Simply don't contract for services for at least 48 hours after the request. See what everybody brings to the table before furthering the process. Also, it's probably a good idea to sit back and see who responds most and how.nbsp; If one particular vendor calls more than the others, they're likely the one that will provide the most wiggle room on your first deal.nbsp; This may also be an indication that their business health isn't as positive as the others, too so be cautious. 2) If you don't want to be hounded by the hourly phone calls, simply place a statement in the request for information form that says something along the lines of "searching for relevant providers and pricing information. Please do not call." That's what I wish I had done in this situation, but you live and learn, right? Next time I fill out one of these forms, I'll include that caveat and if any vendors ignore the request to not call, they'll be eliminated immediately for a failure to pay attention to the request. After-all, if they can't follow simple directions at the outset, how are they going to produce when things get more complicated? I highly recommend using services such as BuyerZone.com to find quality vendors and potential partners, but you may want to include some basic contact #38; follow-up instructions especially if you're not looking to be called a lot on the phone. In the vendors' defense, they are following up to a request as best they can, but sometimes that follow up is a bit extreme. There is also a brief podcast below that shares my experience and advice.nbsp; Enjoy! Advertising roger.bauer@smbconsultinginc.com no No