Issue #33
Dylan Campbell offers an independent view that does not necessarily co-incide with that of The Nettle.
Quietly making a living on the Internet since 2000, he has a unique, and often controversial, view of the industry.
Dylan has requested to be published under a pseudonym.
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Can I Call You?
“It’s good to talk,” Bob Hoskins bleated while counting his hard-earned cash from British Telecom.
“It’s better to email,” replied web entrepreners around the globe.
“Well, sometimes,” concludes Dylan Campbell.
Of course email has its advantages in terms of cost, speed and the ability to send pictures of dancing squirrels. But it will never entirely replace verbal communication.
For many web marketers, giving out an email address to potential customers is seen as enough of a headache without having to tackle the terror of telephone calls.
The idea of actually speaking to someone on the telephone is enough to send many web marketers into a cold sweat. Having to form sentences without the aid of a spell checker or backspace key can be a terrifying prospect.
This could be put down to nerves, lack of confidence or plain and simple shyness. Whatever the reason, if you know you fall into this category don’t be embarrased by it.
But don’t give in to it either.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that refusing to talk to people is standard practice for online businesses. Especially when even large corporations host expensive looking websites without a “contact” page to be seen. It seems to be a rule of thumb, that the grander the business, the harder it is to find someone to talk to.
Don’t be taken in by this.
Not putting a phone number on your website is unprofessional and bad for business.
Remember that most visitors don’t want to talk to someone on the phone either. The safe haven of email will remain the first choice for most.
But some will want to talk to you. If only to confirm that this business is being run by someone real. They want to hear a friendly voice to reassure them that you are on the straight and narrow.
Some visitors just like to KNOW you have a phone number even if they never intend to ring it. Just the presence of a number helps to reinforce the impression that you are a real person running a legitmate business.
Don’t make it difficult for people to contact you. An email address should only be the start of your contact page. Off-line communication should still be an option and a telephone number is the simplest way to start.
If you’re anxious try these tips:
- Be yourself. A friendly voice, umming and erring occasionally, is far more appealing than robot-like professionalism.
- The person will likely tell you their name first, so write it down. If they only tell you their first name, use it. If they tell you their full name, call them Mr ~ or Mrs ~. If they don’t give you a name, Sir or Madam is fine. You want to be relaxed, but not impolite.
- If you’re a nervous person, stand up as you answer the phone as if you’re about to greet them. Remain stood during the call and you should find it easier to converse.
- If you anticipate a lot of calls, invest in a call-centre style headset. Having your hands free to doodle, take notes, type and gesture is very liberating and can do a lot for your confidence.
If you’re worried about midnight phone calls, try these:
- turn the ringer off before you go to bed.
- rent a second telephone line and use an answering machine when you’re unavailable.
- Post your office hours on your website. If you work from home, post the hours between when you rise and go to bed not just the hours during which you work.
- Indicate your timezone on your website. You can help people work out if you are available by linking to http://www.timezoneconverter.com/ .
So no excuses then. List a phone number and be prepared to take some calls.
In all honesty, the majority of people will not want to speak to you directly. But don’t block the ones that do.
Can I call you? The answer should always be YES.
Comment on this review and you could win free credits for the Mystical Maze.
Click here to post your views in The Nettle Forum .
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This article can be reproduced in your website or ezine from six weeks after the publication date. However, you must seek permission first. Please email David if you would like to use this material.
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Advertise Here!
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$8 per issue
Send an email to david@thenettle.com to reserve your position.
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CaptKirk - A sideways look of the web marketing industry
CaptKirk offers an independent view that does not necessarily co-incide with that of The Nettle. You can respond to his column at The Nettle Forum
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Forced Matrix Plans Are a Turn-0ff!
Everywhere I look these days, I see forced matrix plans 3x6, 7x7, etc…
To me a forced matrix is a turn-off, because I don’t need help recruiting others from my upline spill over.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with building a downline, but I prefer to keep ALL my first level referrals for myself.
I guess it would be good for newbies who haven’t learned how to recruit other affiliates. But, I can’t imagine a veteran signing up for these programs unless he’s weak in recruiting others.
I have signed-up for a 7x7 Free-For-All (FFA) forced matrix site where my main website is a permanent link on all of the network pages. But, in this case I’m not trying to build a downline.
If you are trying to generate traffic to your site I would suggest that you join a traffic building club where people would have a variety of programs to join and only one URL to promote.
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Editors' Note
Feeling a little despondent today. If you watched England vs France last night, you can probably understand why.
Still, on the plus side, England probably only need four points from their next two games to reach the next round. There's no shame in losing to the European champions.
This week's Nettle is one the busiest issues to date. Two articles, two program reviews, two program updates and a new competition. Not too shabby. If you know of anyone else who you think would enjoy this ezine, I've set up a Tell A Friend form with cooltaf.com.
I'm also pleased to announce that the JackTenForty Traffic Masters traffic exchange have joined us in the The Nettle Forum. Over the coming weeks and months, members of this exchange will be finding their way to the forum and making some posts.
JackTenForty Traffic Masters is an excellent traffic exchange and has already built a good membership.
In other news, if you are interested in some cost effective banner space, you can now purchase space at the NetMarketingForum for just $7 per month. Take a look HERE.
Best wishes.
David Congreave.
david@thenettle.com
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COMING IN ISSUE #34:
Hit Exchange News & NetMarketingForum - Reader Reviews
Subscribe FREE to receive an email when the latest issue is available.
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Google Ads have proved effective for many, so affiliate marketers are looking for ways to regain some ground. Enter Affiliate Power Ads (APA) and Affiliate Sensor (AS)
Of the two programs, Affiliate Power Ads is the program you're most likely to heard about as this is being promoted fairly heavily, but they both have their own unique advantages.
PLEASE NOTE - If you use Google Adsense, it is against their terms and conditions to display competing ads on the same page. APA and AS would undoubtedly come under this category so I would recommend keeping your ads on seperate pages.
Both programs display ads in various shapes that link to affiliate programs. If someone clicks on a link and purchases, you get the comisssion. Commissions also run on two levels so you have the possibility of earning from people you refer.
Of the two programs APA is the nicest looking. The ads include pictures and are eye catching: Here's an example:
Looks nice doesn't it?
The drawback with this program is that you have to join each of the affiliate programs in turn before you add the code to your site. This is time consuming, unclear and some of the affiliate links refused to let me sign up. You will also have to log in to each program in turn to check your comissions.
In contrast, AS uses a text-based format. Here's an example:
Not as attractive, but the ads are all drawn from the ClickBank database. This means only one affiliate form to complete and you can get started.
You can also tailor the ads to different categories, some of them quite narrow. This makes it easy to target the content to your site.
So there you have it. Attractive but fiddly or plain and simple, the choice is yours. You can sign up by clicking the links below.
Affiliate Power Ads - Affiliate Sensor
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June 2004 Competition
Here is the competition for June 2004, sponsored by:
1st Prize - One month of PAID membership in the Mystical Maze exchange and 2500 banner impressions.
Join the Early Bird mailing list and one winner will be drawn at random.
2nd Prize - 500 credits in the Mystical Maze exchange and 2500 banner impressions.
This prize will be awarded to the best post made in the "Debate" section of The Nettle Forum
3rd Prize - 500 credits in the Mystical Maze exchange.
This prize will be awarded to the best post made anywhere in The Nettle Forum
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Traffic Exchange Alliance - UPDATE
Two chat sesssions have been completed and debate has begun on the criteria that will be laid down for alliance members.
If you would like to make your voice heard, you can post a message at the NetMarketingForum .
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The full program has now launched and you can read emails and play games in exchange for points.
Once you've accumulated enough points you can purchase various items in the shop including banner impressions and page views.
Nice concept, but why the awful music on the homepage? Guaranteed to send people away :-(
If you want to try it out, mute your speakers and click the link below.
IPowerFun
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If you like building downlines, hearing about a new program or website immediately after its launch can give you a head-start on your promotion.
At The Early Bird, we scour the internet, join the mailing lists and hang around forums to bring you details of the newest programs!
Add your email address now and we'll enter you into our prize draw to win one month of PAID membership to the Mystical Maze
You can view our splash page at www.thenettle.com/earlybird/.
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Essentials
There are four websites that carry a standing recommendation from The Nettle, each of which will be reviewed in a future issue. Until then, you can read the brief description below.
The Early Bird: If you like building downlines, being notified when new programs are released can be extremely helpful.
Mystical Maze: An effective Traffic Exchange that is rapidly gaining a loyal following. A clean surfing experience and the Maze make it less tedious than most.
MPAM: Massive Passive Advertising Machine. An excellent introduction to the weird and wonderful world of web marketing, and a great community spirit.
Join up using the above link and work your way through the lessons to achieve Gold status. Once you've achieved this, email us with your MPAM link and we'll give you $100 of advertising in The Nettle.
Hit Exchange News: If you use Traffic Exchanges to any degree, a subscription to this weekly ezine is essential. Complete the form below for your free subscription.
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If you enjoyed this weeks issue, click on the button below and your vote will be registered. If you didn't think this weeks issue was up to scratch, then don't click on the button.
And that's it! By monitoring the number of votes coming through each week, this will help us see which issues work better than others. If you want to give more specific feedback (good or bad), please do so on The Nettle Forum .
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To Click or not to Click? The decision's yours.
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