First there were Pandas...
Then there were Penguins...
Then there were Phish (not for everyone)...
What happened with Panda (for me)?
- Site went from #2 to #47.. then #18.. then #12.. then #7...
I got lucky and the Penguins danced right by my... keep on keepen on Penguins!
Then out of no where my site gets attacked with the most aggressive phishing attack I've ever seen! Google de-lists the site... My host had to block the site.. we had to use six different IPs just to keep it up long enough to find and fix the problem... so where are we now.. #49... UGH!!!
How did we keep the leads coming in?
We had to quickly switch to paid sources (maybe this was Google's plan all along)! The CPC on most of our keywords was $5 so that was a little pricey. So we decided to leverage our videos... hmmm... I like that idea.
We were able to buy the same keywords for $0.20 and our clicks (from the video to our money site) were at about $2.13. So basically we were engaging customers at $0.20 and bringing them over to our site for $2.13. What we noticed was our conversions were through the roof relative to visits.
Why?
The visitor was already engaged in what we do... they had already watched the video (done their research).. now they wanted service... lovely!
Today I sit with a battered and bruised site (and ego)... this time I'm going to let it sit for a bit and hope that it comes back naturally... well.. I'm going to try to..
What a time to be an internet marketer...
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
It was the best of times.. it was the worst of times (10:365)
So what is it like to start a new IM Company during what is considered the WORST time to be an internet marketer (let me explain that below). Well its frustrating but exciting.
I'm going to call this time "The Great IM Shake Out"!
Right now the industry is being shaken to its core and many 'internet marketers' are jumping ship. The last few years were sort of gold rush if you will on the internet. Anyone with a little common sense, a decent work ethic (and many that don't) could have made a ton of money over the past five years. If you missed out... don't worry there is another one coming!
Some of the smartest people I know (and I know a few) have been locked away developing the next generation of search strategies. Some of the things that have been developed absolutely blow my mind. My team has been busy at work as well. Mostly revamping our business model to take advantage of the next generation of internet based businesses.
The idea... let the Great IM Shake Out take place but position our firm to pounce when the shake out is over.
One of the main things we've learned is that SEO in its old one off service style is dead as a business model. Notice I DID NOT say that SEO was dead. People who only offer direct SEO Services are not going to survive through the end of this year (unless you have 100+ clients).
So what will the next generation of successful IM's look like... I'm talking the seven figure plus earners?
Well... wouldn't you like to know... .MUAHAHAHAHA!
Just joking!
I know some really smart people who are taking their services private. Meaning they are charging a lot more but working with less people. This keeps their tools and tricks more guarded and more sustainable.
Others are not building to hold and are now focusing on quicker turns on their web based assets to avoid getting caught by an update. I like this idea.
Any time you find a 'new' trick with SEO or IM you have to put a shelf life on it of less then 24 months. If you are trying to build sustainability around an IM product or service beyond that you are planning to fail.
Now I know there are exceptions to every rule and this does not apply to the 0.0001% of IM'rs out there who are bad ass enough to avoid this pitfalls (I can name maybe 32 people in the world that this doesn't apply to).. Luckily I call a handful of those people friends.
So what are we doing now at RCBryan & Associates? We are throwing away our one off service model and going full into business development and acquisitions. We will take on less clients (maybe a max of 12 per year) and those that we take on will get our 'Kitchen Sink' approach where we will throw the entire weight of our firm behind the business for 15 months and then sell our stake in the company back out.
We've partnered with a top business broker to buy and sell companies. We've partnered with top industry professionals to make sure our marketing is top notch. We've also struck deals with a handful of capital partners to carry the deals we do.
It's day #10 for the new firm and we are on fire!!!
Check us out: http://www.rcbryan.com
I'm going to call this time "The Great IM Shake Out"!
Right now the industry is being shaken to its core and many 'internet marketers' are jumping ship. The last few years were sort of gold rush if you will on the internet. Anyone with a little common sense, a decent work ethic (and many that don't) could have made a ton of money over the past five years. If you missed out... don't worry there is another one coming!
Some of the smartest people I know (and I know a few) have been locked away developing the next generation of search strategies. Some of the things that have been developed absolutely blow my mind. My team has been busy at work as well. Mostly revamping our business model to take advantage of the next generation of internet based businesses.
The idea... let the Great IM Shake Out take place but position our firm to pounce when the shake out is over.
One of the main things we've learned is that SEO in its old one off service style is dead as a business model. Notice I DID NOT say that SEO was dead. People who only offer direct SEO Services are not going to survive through the end of this year (unless you have 100+ clients).
So what will the next generation of successful IM's look like... I'm talking the seven figure plus earners?
Well... wouldn't you like to know... .MUAHAHAHAHA!
Just joking!
I know some really smart people who are taking their services private. Meaning they are charging a lot more but working with less people. This keeps their tools and tricks more guarded and more sustainable.
Others are not building to hold and are now focusing on quicker turns on their web based assets to avoid getting caught by an update. I like this idea.
Any time you find a 'new' trick with SEO or IM you have to put a shelf life on it of less then 24 months. If you are trying to build sustainability around an IM product or service beyond that you are planning to fail.
Now I know there are exceptions to every rule and this does not apply to the 0.0001% of IM'rs out there who are bad ass enough to avoid this pitfalls (I can name maybe 32 people in the world that this doesn't apply to).. Luckily I call a handful of those people friends.
So what are we doing now at RCBryan & Associates? We are throwing away our one off service model and going full into business development and acquisitions. We will take on less clients (maybe a max of 12 per year) and those that we take on will get our 'Kitchen Sink' approach where we will throw the entire weight of our firm behind the business for 15 months and then sell our stake in the company back out.
We've partnered with a top business broker to buy and sell companies. We've partnered with top industry professionals to make sure our marketing is top notch. We've also struck deals with a handful of capital partners to carry the deals we do.
It's day #10 for the new firm and we are on fire!!!
Check us out: http://www.rcbryan.com
Friday, May 18, 2012
When your ex says ‘You’ll never find anyone like me’. Say ‘that’s the point’. (5:365)
It's a quote from Drake..
Here is the thing with business consultants and having a business coach - we are not all created equal!
Let me tell you about my "I-They" standard.
When you are talking to a potential coach or consultant listen to the way they use these two words - "I" and then "They"...
Do they say things like... "When I launched my last company we used a cross platform selling strategy" or do they say "When they launched their last company they used this strategy so you should to". You MUST stay away from the "They's"!
This is also true at events and seminars. Listen to the person speaking.. are they an "I" or are they a "They". Do they sit in front of the room for an hour talking about what everyone else is doing or do they have real first hand experience with the topic?
RUN FROM THE THEY's!!!
Today was jam packed with coaching calls. I love working with each and everyone of my students. The wide verity of products and skill sets makes my job interesting.
On a good note our site www.rcbryan.com is 100% back up and running! The phishing attack has been squashed!
"I fought the hackers.. and I won... I fought the hackers and... they got a big ole American Boot up their ASS!"
It's day (5:365) and things are moving along. A few smaller deals closed this week with one large deal now in the works. It may be Friday but I have a full weekend of work ahead of me!
Let the haters hate and keep letting the money pile up!
Here is the thing with business consultants and having a business coach - we are not all created equal!
Let me tell you about my "I-They" standard.
When you are talking to a potential coach or consultant listen to the way they use these two words - "I" and then "They"...
Do they say things like... "When I launched my last company we used a cross platform selling strategy" or do they say "When they launched their last company they used this strategy so you should to". You MUST stay away from the "They's"!
This is also true at events and seminars. Listen to the person speaking.. are they an "I" or are they a "They". Do they sit in front of the room for an hour talking about what everyone else is doing or do they have real first hand experience with the topic?
RUN FROM THE THEY's!!!
Today was jam packed with coaching calls. I love working with each and everyone of my students. The wide verity of products and skill sets makes my job interesting.
On a good note our site www.rcbryan.com is 100% back up and running! The phishing attack has been squashed!
"I fought the hackers.. and I won... I fought the hackers and... they got a big ole American Boot up their ASS!"
It's day (5:365) and things are moving along. A few smaller deals closed this week with one large deal now in the works. It may be Friday but I have a full weekend of work ahead of me!
Let the haters hate and keep letting the money pile up!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
I got 99 Problems but a ***** ain't one!
I decided to timeline my day today. Mostly because I knew it wasn't going to be super productive. To many FN Problems!!
I'm going to do this one in a few parts today because of some major frustrations!
wpcurl is ready to go from a function standpoint. I made the same damn mistake with this product that I did my last. I never wrote a sales letter and now have no marketing platform for it. That's the second time I've done this. It will not happen again.
seocurl has been sitting to long. It's a major cash flow project that I need to just lock myself in a room and finish the web2.0 posting tool. The demand is there and the program has proven to work. A little revamp of the code and a little stealth posting script and we are in business.
After those two tools are launched I'm done dealing with the public. My tools will stay my own! Or maybe at least a few close MM friends.
I HATE EMAIL!
12:26pm - Got booted from Campaigner because of a bad list. They didn't even let me email it to see what the open rate would be. Makes no fn sense. I can't really blame them (well I can)... it's this damn site www.article2008.com. It's been nothing but a pain in my ass for 4 years! It's time for it to go. I should be able to get a couple bucks for it and it will cut my server costs 50%. Mission #1 effective... NOW
Talked to Chad from IS and we agreed (sort of) that I would delete all lists associated with article2008 and that my account would be reactivated. Damn this site is a pain in the ass.
1:32pm - Now obsessed with solving this damn email problem I've purchased a scrubbing service to clean my article marketing list. I'm then going to pay another third party service to do a 7 part funnel on the list to clean it back down to only the opens before I try to move that list back to an EMS. This is going to be a bit expensive but when its done I should have a decent list.
2:14pm - list submitted to be scrubbed - cost $50 for 76,000 emails
3:01pm - send out national contract to client
3:21pm - get back scrubbed list - now have 67,000 emails on the list that I can market to. Trying to decide if I do one off blasts to clean the list down to opens and then move back to IS or if I use a secondary service to protect my newly reactivated IS account. Let me work out pricing.
4:30pm - Coaching call with new student
5:00pm - Coaching call with one of my coaches
5:45pm - MM Conf Call
6:15pm - $5 Steak Night!!!!
Goal Ratio 2.9%
Day #4 is done! Well at leas until I get back from the bar and get back to work...
I'm going to do this one in a few parts today because of some major frustrations!
wpcurl is ready to go from a function standpoint. I made the same damn mistake with this product that I did my last. I never wrote a sales letter and now have no marketing platform for it. That's the second time I've done this. It will not happen again.
seocurl has been sitting to long. It's a major cash flow project that I need to just lock myself in a room and finish the web2.0 posting tool. The demand is there and the program has proven to work. A little revamp of the code and a little stealth posting script and we are in business.
After those two tools are launched I'm done dealing with the public. My tools will stay my own! Or maybe at least a few close MM friends.
I HATE EMAIL!
12:26pm - Got booted from Campaigner because of a bad list. They didn't even let me email it to see what the open rate would be. Makes no fn sense. I can't really blame them (well I can)... it's this damn site www.article2008.com. It's been nothing but a pain in my ass for 4 years! It's time for it to go. I should be able to get a couple bucks for it and it will cut my server costs 50%. Mission #1 effective... NOW
Talked to Chad from IS and we agreed (sort of) that I would delete all lists associated with article2008 and that my account would be reactivated. Damn this site is a pain in the ass.
1:32pm - Now obsessed with solving this damn email problem I've purchased a scrubbing service to clean my article marketing list. I'm then going to pay another third party service to do a 7 part funnel on the list to clean it back down to only the opens before I try to move that list back to an EMS. This is going to be a bit expensive but when its done I should have a decent list.
2:14pm - list submitted to be scrubbed - cost $50 for 76,000 emails
3:01pm - send out national contract to client
3:21pm - get back scrubbed list - now have 67,000 emails on the list that I can market to. Trying to decide if I do one off blasts to clean the list down to opens and then move back to IS or if I use a secondary service to protect my newly reactivated IS account. Let me work out pricing.
4:30pm - Coaching call with new student
5:00pm - Coaching call with one of my coaches
5:45pm - MM Conf Call
6:15pm - $5 Steak Night!!!!
Goal Ratio 2.9%
Day #4 is done! Well at leas until I get back from the bar and get back to work...
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
RCBryan & Associates Day 3 (3:365)
Today was a lot of running around getting insurance set-up and doing a few meetings. I'm excited to say that RCBryan & Associates will be offering health benefits to its full time staff! That is something I was not able to do with my last firm. I also built out the rest of my office furniture in hopes of having everything 100% by next week. Did a few coaching calls with students and now waiting to do one last call at 5:30pm before I get back to programming for the evening.
One big thing today is that my corporate site got hacked. It seemed like a small intrusion starting last Thursday and my team thought we caught it and blocked it. Turns out this is a pretty heavy attack and we've now had to involve our server management team as well as our hosting provider. This is the first time we've dealt with something like this. They do say a good hack is a sign you're doing something right. People don't hack sites that don't have traffic or brand awareness. Most people would also never admit when something like this happens. Here's the truth... it happens.. hiding it does not change that fact... Dealing with it does!
Had some great conversation with potential partners on the business brokerage side of things today. It looks like this may become the biggest division in the company very quickly! We now have 51 deals on the table that we are sorting through to find the best ones. There is a good chance we will sell out of service for the next six month before the end of next week.
Damn it feels good to be a gangster (or computer nerd.. which ever!)
One big thing today is that my corporate site got hacked. It seemed like a small intrusion starting last Thursday and my team thought we caught it and blocked it. Turns out this is a pretty heavy attack and we've now had to involve our server management team as well as our hosting provider. This is the first time we've dealt with something like this. They do say a good hack is a sign you're doing something right. People don't hack sites that don't have traffic or brand awareness. Most people would also never admit when something like this happens. Here's the truth... it happens.. hiding it does not change that fact... Dealing with it does!
Had some great conversation with potential partners on the business brokerage side of things today. It looks like this may become the biggest division in the company very quickly! We now have 51 deals on the table that we are sorting through to find the best ones. There is a good chance we will sell out of service for the next six month before the end of next week.
Damn it feels good to be a gangster (or computer nerd.. which ever!)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Day #2 In the Books (2:365)
Today is day #2 in the launch of the new RCBryan & Associates Company. WOW! What a difference a few days make.
Step 1: Get the office setup and everything working. This included hardware and software (which was a pain)
Step 2: Create training for new assistant
Step 3: Organize all leads in database. This included hard leads as well as online leads. We organized them and started marketing to everyone. We are about 90% through this and things are starting to come together.
Step 4: Organize Coaching Dept. Get everyone on the schedule and get the calendar up to date.
Step 5: Accounts Receivable - get all the money that is owed in
Step 6: Cash flow & credit report. Make sure the money is right (maybe this should have been #1)
What are some of the mistakes I've made?
- Office supplies: One of us has had to run to the store every day
- Accounting still isn't where I want it to be. I need to make a hard decision on the path I want to take here
So this is my fourth start-up and I feel like I had a great system in place for this one.
- Properly designed site
- Properly designed sales funnel
- Properly designed service offering
- Rich lead list
- Great JV opportunities already in the works
- Strong Virtual Team for development and marketing
I'm ready to declare the Million Dollar Challenge. Each of the last four companies/divisions I've launched have done $1M in gross sales in less then 12 months. I say challenge on! I can do it four times in a row. Feel free to follow along to see how we do!
RCBryan aka Roger :-)
Step 1: Get the office setup and everything working. This included hardware and software (which was a pain)
Step 2: Create training for new assistant
Step 3: Organize all leads in database. This included hard leads as well as online leads. We organized them and started marketing to everyone. We are about 90% through this and things are starting to come together.
Step 4: Organize Coaching Dept. Get everyone on the schedule and get the calendar up to date.
Step 5: Accounts Receivable - get all the money that is owed in
Step 6: Cash flow & credit report. Make sure the money is right (maybe this should have been #1)
What are some of the mistakes I've made?
- Office supplies: One of us has had to run to the store every day
- Accounting still isn't where I want it to be. I need to make a hard decision on the path I want to take here
So this is my fourth start-up and I feel like I had a great system in place for this one.
- Properly designed site
- Properly designed sales funnel
- Properly designed service offering
- Rich lead list
- Great JV opportunities already in the works
- Strong Virtual Team for development and marketing
I'm ready to declare the Million Dollar Challenge. Each of the last four companies/divisions I've launched have done $1M in gross sales in less then 12 months. I say challenge on! I can do it four times in a row. Feel free to follow along to see how we do!
RCBryan aka Roger :-)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Going After the Big Fish
It can be very frustrating when you are starting a new Internet Marketing Company. While it is easy to land small clients of say $500 we all know that you end up putting in the same if not more work into those clients as you would say a $5000 a month client. We would all prefer the larger clients but how do you get them? Where do you find them?
First thing is don't be scared to ask for real money for your services. If you can deliver top notch services then charge top end pricing. To often start ups under charge for their services because they are intimidated by big numbers. Don't let that be the case.
The second and most important element is to remember that a $500 decision can be made in a first meeting. A $5000 a month decision typically takes a little longer. This is where the frustration can set in. You have bills to pay and you seem to be getting no where when it comes to the contracts getting signed. What you need to understand that it takes about 90 days to close a large scale national client. Now it can happen sooner but 90 days is a good target.
This means you have to plan accordingly. If you know its going to be 90 days until you land a client then you need to make sure you are continually filling your sales funnel at all levels. If you stop doing this your company will fail.
Here are some sales levels to keep in mind when creating your funnel
A - $500pm Local
B - $1000pm Local
C - $1500pm Local or Low Comp National
N - $2500pm National Campaign
V - $5000 - $10,000pm Large National Campaigns
I like to make sure I'm adding people into the funnel like this:
A - 10 per week
B - 5 per week
C - 5 per week
N - 2 per week
V - 1 per week
*Note that these are the minimum numbers. If I'm doing less then that I'm not working hard enough.
So the point of this is to keep in mind that things take time and don't allow yourself to get frustrated when things don't seem to be moving. Just keep working at it and it'll all come together for you.
For more information on Business Consulting Services please visit our website http://www.rcbryan.com
First thing is don't be scared to ask for real money for your services. If you can deliver top notch services then charge top end pricing. To often start ups under charge for their services because they are intimidated by big numbers. Don't let that be the case.
The second and most important element is to remember that a $500 decision can be made in a first meeting. A $5000 a month decision typically takes a little longer. This is where the frustration can set in. You have bills to pay and you seem to be getting no where when it comes to the contracts getting signed. What you need to understand that it takes about 90 days to close a large scale national client. Now it can happen sooner but 90 days is a good target.
This means you have to plan accordingly. If you know its going to be 90 days until you land a client then you need to make sure you are continually filling your sales funnel at all levels. If you stop doing this your company will fail.
Here are some sales levels to keep in mind when creating your funnel
A - $500pm Local
B - $1000pm Local
C - $1500pm Local or Low Comp National
N - $2500pm National Campaign
V - $5000 - $10,000pm Large National Campaigns
I like to make sure I'm adding people into the funnel like this:
A - 10 per week
B - 5 per week
C - 5 per week
N - 2 per week
V - 1 per week
*Note that these are the minimum numbers. If I'm doing less then that I'm not working hard enough.
So the point of this is to keep in mind that things take time and don't allow yourself to get frustrated when things don't seem to be moving. Just keep working at it and it'll all come together for you.
For more information on Business Consulting Services please visit our website http://www.rcbryan.com
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